CARACTERÍSTICAS PRODUTIVAS E MORFOLÓGICAS DO CAPIM-MARANDU SOB LOTAÇÃO INTERMITENTE NO BREJO PARAIBANO

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the productive and morphological characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, under rotational stocking, in six grazing periods in the Paraiba swamp region. The plants are considered the main source of food for ruminants, which produces more cheaply, since Brazil has favorable climate for growing. The experiment was carried out grazing to rotational stocking with 28 days grazing cycle with two days of occupation and 26 days of rest in Region Brejo Paraibano, which was used heifers with initial age of 12 months of Dutch x Zebu breeds with weight initial body 130 kg BW, the number of animals used dimensioned so that the lowering of pastures happen in a period not exceeding two days. The treatments consisted of six grazing cycles: Cycle 1 (15/09/14 to 10/13/14), cycle 2 (14/10/14 to 11/11/14), Cycle 3 (11/12/14 to 10/12/14), cycle 4 (11/12/14 to 08/01/15), cycle 5 (09/01/15 to 02/06/15) and cycle6 (07 to 02/07/15 / 03/15). To determine the herbage mass was used the direct method, with the aid of a frame of 1.0 x 0.5 m (0.5 m2) thrown at random. To determine the height of the canopy before and after grazing were taken twenty different points in zig-zag in the poles, through use of a transparency and ruler graduated in centimeters. The accumulation of forage (AF) was obtained by the difference of pre-grazing herbage mass and herbage mass of the residue of the previous cycle of post-grazing. To determine the forage accumulation rate (FAR) divided by the AF of pickets rest time (26 days). There was a decrease in height variables before and after grazing, pre and post AF and MF TxAF over the production cycles, and consequently the morphological components dead material, leaf blades, stems and relationship F:C. For the conditions of micro Brejo Paraibano, the grazing cycle of 28 days, not favors the development and persistence of marandugrass because with advancing cycles, keeping the fixed days, it is not possible to obtain heights entries and outputs according to the recommended and should be made the stocking rate adjustment every cycle, because of variations in forage mass, height and morphological components stems and dead material.