Abstract
The aim was to evaluate the effects of grazing height of Brachiaria ruziziensis on the production of straw, and the establishment and grain yield of a soybean crop, under an integrated crop-livestock system, on a typic dystrophic Red Latosol at the Experimental Farm of the Agronomic Institute of Paraná (IAPAR), in Xambrê, in the state of Paraná, Brazil (PR). The study was carried out between September of 2010 and April of 2012. The experimental design was of randomised blocks, in lots split over time, with five treatments and three replications. The following were determined for the Brachiaria ruziziensis: shoot dry matter weight, plant residue dry matter weight, and total dry matter weight (Brachiaria ruziziensis shoot weight + plant residue weight). Also determined were variables related to the yield of the soybean crop (number of plants per metre, plant height and grain productivity), for the crop years 2010/2011 and 2011/2012. Straw production is greater in areas of Brachiaria ruziziensis where there is no grazing compared to areas where grazing occurs; the high production seen in areas with greater grazing heights should also be noted. The final number of plants, plant height and productivity in the soybean were not affected by the grazing height of the Brachiaria ruziziensis.
Highlights
The soils in the northwest of the State of Paraná, in Brazil (PR), derive from Caiuá sandstone, and are characterised by their medium to sandy texture, being highly susceptible to erosion and often having low levels of organic matter of around 1% (OLIVEIRA et al, 2000)
Any remaining Brachiaria ruziziensis was collected in September of 2010 and 2011, after the animals were removed from the paddocks, with 30 random samples being taken per plot from a 0.25 m2 (50 x 50 cm) square
From the breakdown of the interaction (Table 4), it can be seen that shoot dry matter weight and total dry matter weight in Brachiaria ruziziensis were significant (P
Summary
The soils in the northwest of the State of Paraná, in Brazil (PR), derive from Caiuá sandstone, and are characterised by their medium to sandy texture, being highly susceptible to erosion and often having low levels of organic matter of around 1% (OLIVEIRA et al, 2000). Brachiaria ruziziensis is a forage species that has been used for grazing, intercropping or as groundcover in integrated crop-livestock systems It excels as a cover crop, due to its capacity for the production of straw during the off-season in the Cerrado, when overseeded into crops of soybeans (PACHECO et al, 2008). In the winter preceding the planting of a commercial crop in two seasons under evaluation, Pacheco et al (2011) obtained for this grass as a cover crop, a C/N of 30 and 34 at the time of desiccation This high ratio of C to N in brachiaria extends the period of decomposition (NEPOMUCENO et al, 2012) and the time the straw remains on the soil surface. The present study was carried out with the aim of evaluating the effects of grazing height in Brachiaria ruziziensis on both the production of straw and the establishment and grain yield in a soybean crop under an integrated croplivestock system
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