Stems production control on Tanzania grass: a challenge.

Author(s)

Patricia Menezes Santos

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2002-03-22

Examining board members

Moacyr Corsi; Valdo Rodrigues Herling; Carlos Nabinger; Carlos Guilherme Silveira Pedreira; Paulo Cesar Ocheuze Trivelin

• Advisor: Moacyr Corsi

Abstract

Tanzânia grass (Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tanzânia) is widely used for grazing in Brazil. The increase in stem production, mainly during flowering, has a negative impact over forage quality and grazing efficiency. The aim of this work was to study tillering and nitrogen dynamics in order to propose management alternatives for the control of stem production. Two experiments were done. The first was on an irrigated Tanzânia grass pasture at ESALQ/USP, in Piracicaba-SP, between October/1999 and June/2000. The experiment was on a complete block design with three treatments (high, medium and low grazing intensities) and four replicates. Tiller cohorts were identified by coloured plastic coated wire. The number weight leaf percentage contribution to total production and to leaf and stem production, and IVOMD of each cohort were evaluated throughout the experiment. The second experiment was conducted on the MLURI, in Aberdeen-Scotland. Tanzânia grass plants were grown in sand culture in controlled environment rooms and supplied with a complete nutrient solution until the 7th leaf was fully expanded. From then on, the plants received either an identical solution containing 15N or a complete nutrient solution containing zero N. They were destructively harvested and separated into various components when the 7th, 8th and 9th leaves were fully expanded. All plant material was weighted after oven drying at 65oC, and then ball-milled prior to analysis. The total N and 15N concentrations of the samples were determined using a continuous flow mass spectrometer. No tiller cohort was identified as responsible for most of dry mass production, so it is not possible to base Tanzânia grass management on the characteristics of a single cohort. The percentage of leaves was mainly related to plant development stage and grazing cycle. The contribution of tiller cohorts to stem production was influenced by grazing intensities: the participation of the youngest cohorts was higher on heavily grazed areas. The IVOMD of tiller cohorts decreased over the grazing cycles and was higher on heavily grazed areas. Obtaining a higher tiller turnover through management practices seems to be the best way to reduce the negative effects of flowering over forage quality and grazing efficiency. The consequences of these management strategies over pasture persistence and animal production need to be established. The main sinks of nitrogen on Tanzânia grass were expanding leaves, followed by side tillers and roots. The youngest fully expanded leaves were the main sources of nitrogen for mobilisation. As most nitrogen is allocated to plant compartments easily harvested by grazing, studies about nitrogen dynamics on defoliated plants are necessary to verify these effects over pasture regrowth and persistence. This process may limit the adoption of management strategies that increase tiller turnover. Root uptake was the main source of nitrogen for new growth, indicating the necessity of more studies on root development and nitrogen dynamics on soil-plant system. (AU)