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Abstract
ABSTRACT This study evaluated how changing the structure of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu pasture under different forage allowances (FA) of 4, 7, 10 and 13kg DM/100kg BW (body weight) affected animal behavior over a two-year evaluation period. The experiment was conducted as a randomized block design with three replications (paddock). Sward height, total forage, and stem mass were lower for pastures managed with lower FA. Lower leaf mass was observed for lower FA in the second year. In hand-plucked samples, leaf and stem percentages remained unchanged in the morning but leaf percentage increased while stems decreased in the afternoon. Permanence time decreased linearly with increasing FA. In turn, a quadratic effect was observed for displacement rate. The bite rate was similar among different FAs. The results demonstrate that FA varying between 7 and 10kg DM/100kg BW are more suitable to balance the amounts of leaves and stems in the sward. The studied FA levels do not limit forage availability. Permanence time decreases and displacement rate increases as FA increases.
Highlights
Grazing is the most economical way of feeding ruminants, but using forage efficiently requires adequate pasture management and extensive knowledge on soil, plant, animal, and climate interface relationships
Plant quantity and morphological components determine the amount of forage available, and how it is presented to the animal
forage allowance (FA) is a function of the interrelationships between forage mass and stocking rate and can be a powerful tool for explaining differences in animal performance (Sollenberger et al, 2005)
Summary
Grazing is the most economical way of feeding ruminants, but using forage efficiently requires adequate pasture management and extensive knowledge on soil, plant, animal, and climate interface relationships. Studies with tropical grasses performed to evaluate the effects of FA have resulted in a better understanding of the response of forage crops and animals to changing grazing intensity (Reis et al, 2013). Variable FA changes grazing intensities, resulting in different sward structures that can be detected by observing the patterns of animal ingestive behavior (Mezzalira et al, 2012). The interdependence between pasture structure and the ingestive behavior of grazing animals is important and well known. Considering this fact, the present study investigates how the different FAs (4, 7, 10 and 13kg DM/100kg BW) change the structure of tropical grass Marandu) pastures managed under rotational grazing system and affect the ingestive behavior of dairy cows
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