Lamb production responses to grass grazing in a companion crop system with corn silage and oversowing of yellow oat in a tropical region

Author(s):Show less -

Pariz, Cristiano M. ^[1] ; Costa, Ciniro ^[1] ; Crusciol, Carlos A. C. ^[2] ; Castilhos, Andre M. ^[1] ; Meirelles, Paulo R. L. ^[1] ; Roca, Roberto O. ^[3] ; Pinheiro, Rafael S. B. ^[4] ; Kuwahara, Frank A. ^[5] ; Martello, Jorge M. ^[2] ; Cavasano, Francielli A. ^[1] ; Yasuoka, Junior I. ^[6] ; Sarto, Jaqueline R. W. ^[1] ; Melo, Veronica F. P. ^[1] ; Franzluebbers, Alan J. ^[7]

Affiliation

^[1] Sao Paulo State Univ, UNESP, Coll Vet Med & Anim Sci, Dept Anim Nutr & Breeding, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[2] UNESP, Coll Agr Sci, Dept Crop Sci, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[3] UNESP, Coll Agr Sci, Dept Econ Sociol & Technol, Botucatu, SP - Brazil

^[4] UNESP, Coll Engn, Dept Biol & Anim Sci, Ilha Solteira, SP - Brazil

^[5] Univ West Sao Paulo UNOESTE, Presidente Prudente, SP - Brazil

^[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Coll Agr, Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[7] North Carolina State Univ, USDA ARS, 3218 Williams Hall, Campus Box 7619, Raleigh, NC 27695 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS; v. 151, p. 1-11, FEB 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 7

Abstract

Integrated crop-livestock systems in regions with dry winters could be a viable option to increase food production during periods of irregular rain and reduced pasture availability. A corn (Zea mays L.) silage production system with cover crops of (a) the weedy growth of signal grass {[}Urochloa decumbens (Stapf) R. Webster ``Basilisk{''}] and (b) palisade grass {[}Urochloa brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) R. Webster `Marandu' and `Natal both with a 020- and 0.45-m silage cutting height, was employed in the summer and autumn. Yellow oat (Avena byzantina cv. Sao Carlos) was oversown in these systems in the winter and spring. The pasture production, the daily ration intake, the performance and carcass characteristics of lambs (Ovis aries) grazing these pastures in a semi-feedlot system (supplemented with silage and concentrate), and the revenue were investigated. The experiment was repeated in the same location for two growing seasons (2010-2011 and 2011-2012) on a Typic Haplorthox in Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Analyzing the system as a whole, intercropping corn silage with palisade grass cv. Marandu (followed by palisade grass cv. Plata) with a cutting height of 0.45 m combined with yellow oat oversowing was the most robust option for enhancing productivity. The pasture formation for lamb finishing in a semi-feedlot system, the reduction of silage and concentrate intake, and greater live weight and carcass gains per hectare were key attributes for improving the economic viability of this integrated crop -livestock system. Thus, these crop systems were a viable option for the diversification of agricultural activities in tropical regions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/04458-9 - Ingestive behaviour and performance of lambs supplemented with corn silage in integrated crop-livestock system
• Grantee: Júnior Issamu Yasuoka
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 11/03662-9 - Sward characteristics, ingestive behavior and evaluations of the carcass of lambs in integrated crop-livestock supplemented with corn silage
• Grantee: Francielli Aparecida Cavasano
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 11/12155-3 - Corn intercrop with cultivars of Brachiaria brizantha for silage and oats over seeded in the lambs production in crop-livestock integration system
• Grantee: Ciniro Costa
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/12992-0 - Technical and economic performance of the corn harvest height for silage in intercrop with Brachiaria brizantha cultivars and oats overseeded in the sheep production
• Grantee: Cristiano Magalhães Pariz
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate