Ricardo Loiola Edvan

The forage yield of Gliricidia sepium during the rainy and dry seasons following pruning management in Brazil

R.L.Edvan, M.S. de S. Carneiro, J.A. Magalhaes, D.R. Albuquerque, M.S. de M. Silva, L.R. Bezerra, R.L. Oliveira and E.M. Santos. 2014. The forage yield of Gliricidia sepium during the rainy and dry seasons following pruning management in Brazil. Cien. Inv. Agr. 41(3): 309-316. Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Steud. shows relatively little growth variation due to climatic differences throughout the year and between years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate various cutting strategies for the management of Gliricidia for forage production in dry and rainy periods of the year. A randomized-block factorial experimental design (12 × 2) was used for the study. The factorial setup consisted of 12 pruning management treatments (cuttings at 45, 60, 75 and 90 days with 30, 60 and 90 cm residual heights) and two periods (dry and rainy season) with four replicates. There were significant interactions between the management regime and the season for plant height, stem diameter, stem diameter and the weight of both fresh and dry forage. The treatment with a cutting frequency of 90 days and a residual height of 90 cm resulted in the highest final average height and the largest stem diameter in the dry period, with reductions of 7.65 and 1.5%, respectively, during the period of water scarcity. The 90 days × 90 cm treatment resulted in the highest production of fresh and dry forage biomass. Application of different cutting strategies to the Gliricidia plants influenced the diameters of the stems and buds, plant height and accumulation of forage biomass during the rainy and dry seasons. The highest cutting frequency (90 days) and lower intensity cutting (90 cm) provided greater stem diameter, number of shoots and plant height, and the higher forage yield of Gliricidia.

Silages in the form of diet based on spineless cactus and buffelgrass

This study was conducted to evaluate the fermentation pattern and the in situ dry matter degradability of silages in the form of diet. Five diets were formulated based on spineless cactus (Opuntia fícus-indica cv. ‘Gigante’) and buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris). The experimental design was completely randomised, with five treatments and three replicates in which the diets differed in the proportion of buffelgrass (0%, 15%, 25%, 30% and 35%, on a fresh matter basis). There was significant difference (p < 0.05) in the chemical composition of the diets, with all dry matter contents being within the ideal range. Ammonia-nitrogen content was not affected (p > 0.05). There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in dry matter recovery across diets, which ranged from 96.28% to 99.93%. The pH values decreased as the time of opening (days) was extended. Organic acid contents differed across all diets; however, overall, all diets showed satisfactory lactic acid contents. As the proportion of buffelgrass in the diets was increased, the degradability of dry matter decreased. Based on fermentation profile, losses and chemical composition the diet with higher proportion of spineless cactus can be recommended for silage production.

Métodos para estimar a massa de forragem em pastagens em clima tropical

There are various methods to estimate the mass production of forage in pastures, but many are not accurate or unsuitable when used with certain species of fodder plants. Therefore, knowing the uses and limitations of the measurement techniques is important. This review aims to report the primary methods of estimating forage mass in pastures in tropical climates. Tropical grasses have the distinctive characteristic of temperate stem elongation, which influences growth and forage quality and may interfere in some techniques used to estimate the forage production. Measurement techniques of forage mass production that consider this variable are important for research and for the farmers in these regions. Among the various direct and indirect methods, the mass of forage grass species is the factor that determines the most appropriate measurement method. Currently, there is no single method that can be used in all situations; thus, knowing the type of biomass that will be evaluated and the best technique for that purpose is critical.

Desidratação e composição química do feno de Leucena (Leucena leucocephala) e Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium)

Objetivou-se avaliar a composicao quimica e tempo para atingir o ponto de fenacao da Leucena (Leucena leucocephala) e Gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium). Foram coletadas amostras nos tempos 0, 2, 4, 6, 8,10, 12, 14, e 16 horas de secagem para obtencao da curva de desidratacao para cada especie de forragem. O delineamento adotado foi o inteiramente casualizado com nove tratamentos (9 tempos de desidratacao x tres repeticoes). Os dados referentes as caracteristicas morfologicas da especie foram submetidos a analise estatistica de variância e as medias foram comparadas pelo teste de Tukey a 1% de probabilidade. Para a curva de desidratacao em funcao do tempo, os dados foram submetidos a analise de regressao. A relacao folha:caule foi maior para a Gliricidia no tempo 16 horas de desidratacao (P<0,05). As taxas de desidratacao da amostra composta, vagem, colmo e folha composta da Gliricidia e Leucena apresentaram efeito linear crescente (P<0,05) com a Leucena mais eficiente na desidratacao. Os teores de materia seca da Gliricidia e Leucena foram, respectivamente, de 91,24% e 91,32%, enquanto os teores de proteina bruta foram de 18,64% e 17,7%. Os teores de fibra em detergente neutro corrigida para cinzas e proteina foram de 49,86% e 49,07%, e os teores de proteina insoluvel em detergente neutro foram de 1,01% e 1,77%. O tempo para atingir o ponto de feno da Leucena e da Gliricidia foi de 16 horas. A composicao nutricional dos fenos de Leucena e Gliricidia apresentaram-se satisfatorios para serem fornecidos na alimentacao de animais ruminantes.

Shortage of Biodiversity in Grassland

Raising animals on pasture with native forage species is cheaper than the cost of confinement and the use of exotic species. The introduction of exotic plants in pastures may increase production costs for farmers when introducing forage species that are not adapted to the system, in addition to causing environmental damage due to the reduction of biodiversity and the failure to consider the soil and climate of the region.