Pasture characteristics and performance of beef cattle in integrated crop-livestock system using forage mixture

• Grant number: 23/04388-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: May 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Cristiana Andrighetto
• Grantee: Mikaeli Alyssa Santos da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Tecnológicas. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Dracena. Dracena , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The crop-livestock integration system known as "Boi Safrinha" refers to the feeding of cattle (rearing and finishing) in the off-season, taking advantage of forage accumulated in intercropping with corn or soybean succession, which is considered a proposal for sustainable intensification of systems integrated crop-livestock system. In this system there may be is the intercropping of Urocholoa sp seeking complementarity to increase and diversify the production capacity of the pastures. Thus, the objective of the project will be to evaluate the influence of the intercropping(mixture) of tropical forage grasses U. ruziziensis and U. brizantha BRS Paiaguás, in succession to soybean, on animal performance and behavior of forage grasses in aintegrated crop-livestock system ("Boi Safrinha"). The experiment will be carried out in Caiuá, western region of the State of São Paulo. The experimental design will be randomized blocks with three replications, with the following treatments: Treatment 1: Off-season pasture of U. ruziziensis (100%) in succession to soybeans and Treatment 2 Mixture pasture (Mix) of U. ruziziensis (50%) + U. brizantha BRS Paiaguás (50%) in succession to soybeans. Thirty-six Nellore calves will be used, with initial approximate weight of 200 kg and age of 8 months, in continuous grazing with variable stocking. The evaluations carried out: forage dry mass, morphological composition, as well as the daily weight gain of the cattle. The data will be submittedto analysis of variance and Tukey's test at 5% significance.