Expontaneous plants in pasture: forage potential and its contribution to the sustainability of the system production.

• Grant number: 16/22463-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2017
• End date: January 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Pastures and Forage Crops
• Principal Investigator: Flavia Maria de Andrade Gimenes
• Grantee: Flavia Maria de Andrade Gimenes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Zootecnia. Agência Paulista de Tecnologia dos Agronegócios (APTA). Secretaria de Agricultura e Abastecimento (São Paulo - Estado). Nova Odessa , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alessandra Aparecida Giacomini ; João José Assumpção de Abreu Demarchi ; Linda Monica Premazzi ; Luciana Gerdes ; Waldssimiler Teixeira de Mattos

Abstract

Expontaneous plants in pastures are described as weeds or invasive plants and occupy a niche in the pasture ecosystem. They should be studied under another point of view as to explain why they are there and what benefits the system is gathering with their presence, through nutrients cycling in their root system or aerial parts, as well as feeding animals. This research has the objective of evaluate the chemical composition of such plants as well as their nutrient extraction from the soil and their potential as a fodder, by determining its nutritional value. The experiment will be conducted in a greenhouse at the Instituto de Zootecnia in Nova Odessa - São Paulo, Brazil, and five plants will be used:, as a graminea; Brachiaria decumbens cv. Ipean, as a legume Macrotyloma axillarie NO 279; and Bidens pilosa, Sida rhombifolia and Amaranthus viridis as expontaneous plants. They will be evaluated during the vegetative and the reproductive stage, established by the cut of the plants and vase destruction, in each stage, respectively. Randomized Complete Block Design will be used in a 5 x 2 factorial (five plants and two cuts), with four repetitions, with a total of 40 experimental units (40 vases). The aerial parts of the plants will be separated in fractions: leaves and stems. The leaf area will be measured by leaf area integrator equipment LI 3100 and the soil will be collected for quimical analysis, as well as the separation of the root system. Dry matter will be determined for each part of the plants as well as their mineral composition (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S). There will be also a bromatological analysis (protein brute, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and lignin), and in vitro digestibility of the dry matter. (AU)