Herbage accumulation, grazing efficiency, morphogenetic characteristics and modeling carbon assimilation of Mulato II brachiariagrass under contrasting growth rates and in response to canopy height maintained by continuous stocking

• Grant number: 14/08789-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: August 10, 2014
• End date: August 09, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Pastures and Forage Crops
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Guilherme Silveira Pedreira
• Grantee: Valdson José da Silva
• Supervisor: Lynn E. Sollenberger
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Florida, Gainesville (UF), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 13/01777-9 - Modeling carbon assimilation and morphogenesis responses of Mulato II Brachiariagrass under contrasting growth rates and in response to canopy height maintained by continuous stocking, BP.DR

Abstract

Grazed pastures are the backbone of the Brazilian livestock industry and grasses of the genus Brachiaria are some of most used tropical forages in the country. Although the dependence on the forage resource is high, grazing management is often empirical and based on broad, non-specific guidelines, which hinders the competitiveness of the livestock industry. This results, in part of the low availability of technical and scientific information, especially for newly released forage genotypes, which are adopted by producers without necessary adjustments in grazing management protocols. Mulato II brachiariagrass (Convert HD 364®), a new Brachiaria hybrid, was released as an option for a broad range of environmental conditions, high nutritive value and forage production. However, there is no scientific information on specific management practices for Mulato II under continuous stocking. The objectives of this research are to describe and explain carbon assimilation and morphogenetic responses of hybrid Convert HD 364 (cv. Mulato II) in response to growth rate and canopy height under continuous stocking. An experiment is being conducted in Piracicaba, SP, during two summer grazing seasons. The experimental design is a randomized complete block, with a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement, corresponding to three steady-state sward heights (10, 25 and 40 cm) maintained by continuous stocking and two growth rates imposed by two N rates (50 and 250 kg N ha-1 yr-1), with three replications. Responses studied include morphogenetic characteristics, tissue senescence, herbage accumulation, leaf area index, sward light interception, leaf angle, forage losses and grazing efficiency, root and shoot mass and photosynthetic characteristics. Data will be analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS, and treatment means will be compared by Tukey-test at the 5% level of probability. It is expected that the results will provide a better understanding of the morphological and physiological adaptations of this new grass to management variables, which can ultimately subsidize the identification of improved management practices. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SILVA, VALDSON J.; PEDREIRA, CARLOS G. S.; SOLLENBERGER, LYNN E.; SILVA, LILIANE S.; YASUOKA, JUNIOR I.; ALMEIDA, IANE C. L.. Carbon Assimilation, Herbage Plant-Part Accumulation, and Organic Reserves of Grazed 'Mulato II' Brachiariagrass Pastures. CROP SCIENCE, v. 56, n. 5, p. 8-pg., 2016-09-01. (13/01777-9, 14/08789-5)

SILVA, VALDSON J.; PEDREIRA, CARLOS G. S.; SOLLENBERGER, LYNN E.; SILVA, LILIANE S.; YASUOKA, JUNIOR I.; ALMEIDA, IANE C. L.. Canopy Height and Nitrogen Affect Herbage Accumulation, Nutritive Value, and Grazing Efficiency of `Mulato II' Brachiariagrass. CROP SCIENCE, v. 56, n. 4, p. 2054-2061, JUL-AUG 2016. (13/01777-9, 14/08789-5)

SILVA, VALDSON J.; PEDREIRA, CARLOS G. S.; SOLLENBERGER, LYNN E.; SILVA, LILIANE S.; YASUOKA, JUNIOR I.; ALMEIDA, IANE C. L.. Carbon Assimilation, Herbage Plant-Part Accumulation, and Organic Reserves of Grazed `Mulato II' Brachiariagrass Pastures. CROP SCIENCE, v. 56, n. 5, p. 2853-2860, SEP-OCT 2016. (13/01777-9, 14/08789-5)

SILVA, VALDSON J.; PEDREIRA, CARLOS G. S.; SOLLENBERGER, LYNN E.; SILVA, LILIANE S.; YASUOKA, JUNIOR I.; ALMEIDA, IANE C. L.. Canopy Height and Nitrogen Affect Herbage Accumulation, Nutritive Value, and Grazing Efficiency of 'Mulato II' Brachiariagrass. CROP SCIENCE, v. 56, n. 4, p. 8-pg., 2016-07-01. (13/01777-9, 14/08789-5)