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| Author(s): |
Murilo Saraiva Guimarães
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Piracicaba. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC) |
| Defense date: | 2012-04-20 |
| Examining board members: |
Carlos Guilherme Silveira Pedreira;
Gustavo José Braga;
Ana Cláudia Ruggieri
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| Advisor: | Carlos Guilherme Silveira Pedreira |
| Abstract | |
The livestock industry is one of the most important sectors of the Brazilian economy, with strong participation in the generation of income for the country. Having pastures as its backbone, makes it highly competitive globally. New forages are constantly introduced into the market, and this generates the need for studies to identify appropriate management practices. In order to know more about new Cynodon materials and to establish their proper management an experiment was conducted in Piracicaba - SP in order to study the responses of two cultivars, Tifton 85 and Jiggs, to grazing management. The objective of this study was to describe the structural characteristics and agronomic performance of those two grasses under two grazing regimes imposed by contrasting defoliation techniques based on intermittent grazing, but differing in the time frame for the establishment of the interruption of a rest period. A fixed (28 days) and a variable (whenever canopy height reached 25 cm) rest periods were tested under a completely randomized design in a factorial arrangement (2 x 2) which defined four treatments with three replications, totaling 12 experimental units, each measuring 12.5 by 9.5 m. The experimental period lasted 180 days from October 28, 2010 to April 26, 2011. Tifton 85 and Jiggs had very similar productive characteristics, with no difference in total seasonal forage accumulation (16.8 Mg ha-1 on average). Jiggs grass canopies showed on average the same level of pre-graze light interception of those of Tifton 85, but with different structural characteristics, such as lower leaf:stem ratio, due to the greater amount of stems with the same amount of leaves, greater canopy height when managed with fixed days of rest, and lower LAI. Jiggs forage had a higher proportion of green material. Growth analysis variables measured under grazing were not affected by grass or management. Jiggs performed well, similar to the proven Tifton 85. Under the conditions of this study, the use of fixed rest proved effective as a management technique, based on forage production and canopy structure, in addition to variables related to plant growth. More research is needed describing the qualitative characteristics of these materials under these grazing strategies, as well as the potential intake and animal resposnses, so that recommendations can be developed for producers. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 10/04657-6 - Agronomic performance, growth analysis, and sward structural characteristics of two Cynodon cultivars under two grazing frequencies |
| Grantee: | Murilo Saraiva Guimarães |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |