Productivity of Tithonia diversifolia under Edaphoclimatic Conditions of Eastern Cuba

Abstract

Livestock in the tropics is characterized by the use of production systems based on low quality pastures, Tithonia diversifolia; due to its productive potential and adequate nutritional value, stands as an alternative for the supplementation of grazing animals. With the objective of evaluating the productive behavior of T. diversifolia according to the climate and soil conditions of the eastern region of Cuba. For which, an experimental design was used in randomized blocks, where the cutoff moments (60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 days) were established as treatments. Total, edible and dry matter biomass were determined; the effect of plant age on these indicators was taken into account. For the statistical processing, the influence of the cutting times on the yields was taken into account, for this regression, equations were obtained (linear, quadratic, cubic, logarithmic and gompertz) and where the descending method was taken into account for its selection. The results showed that the productive indicators increased with forage maturity, with the highest values at 180 days (46.18 t.ha–1 of green forage; 10.96 t.ha–1 of dry forage), for the period of least rainfall. Total forage and dry forage production; in the case of edible biomass, it was better in the dry period (16.20 t.ha–1), and linear, quadratic and cubic functions were fitted with R2 values greater than 0.90 in both climatic phases. Foliage maturity has a marked effect on its productivity, but with a similar response in each seasonal period but different specific values.