Thiago Gomes dos Santos Braz

Características morfogênicas e estruturais de perfilhos de capim-braquiária em locais do pasto com alturas variáveis

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the influence of natural variation of heights of plants on the same pasture on the morphogenic and structural characteristics of Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk managed under continuous stocking with cattle. Four plant heights (10, 20, 30 and 40 cm) were evaluated on the same pasture managed at an average height of 25 cm. It was used a randomized block design with two replications. Leaf appearance rate of signalgrass was linearly and negatively influenced by heights of the plants on the same pasture. The tillers on the same sites with the highest heights showed greater phyllochron (9.3 days). The higher plant heights on the same pasture promoted both higher leaf senescence and pseudoculm elongation rates for the tillers. Leaf lifespan (37.8 days) and leaf elongation rate (1.3 cm/tillers.day) were not influenced by the plant height. The number of green (4.36) and dead (2.15) leaves was not changed by the plants height either. However, the higher height of plants resulted in a linear increase of 69% on the number of leaves showing defoliation. Pseudoculm and leaf blade lengths responded linearly and positively to the increase in the plants height on the same pasture. The natural height variance of plants found on the same pasture changes the morphogenetic and structural characteristics of signalgrass. There is spatial variability of the vegetation on Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk pastures managed under continuous stocking with bovine.

Morphogenesis of Tanzania guinea grass under nitrogen doses and plant densities

The objective of this work was to evaluate effects of nitrogen fertilization and plant density on morphogenesis of Tanzania guinea grass. It was used a random block design with 12 treatments and two replications in a 4 × 3 factorial arrangement, with four doses of nitrogen (N) (without N application, 80, 160 or 320 kg/ha.year) and three plant densities (9, 25 or 49 plants/m2). Harvest was performed at 25 cm from the ground when the canopy intercepted 95% of the incident light. Rates of leaf appearance and pseudostem elongation were positively and linearly influenced by nitrogen, whereas phillochron and leaf life span were influenced linearly and negatively. Leaf elongation responded positively to two factors, whereas leaf senescence rate and number of live leaves were not influenced by the factors evaluated. Number of total, basal and aerial tillers were greater at the density of 9 plants/m2 and at the nitrogen dose of 320 kg/ha.year. Nitrogen increases production of leaves and tillers in Tanzania guinea grass defoliated at 95% of light interception, but high density of plants reduces the number of tiller per bunch.

Genetic parameters of agronomic characters in Panicum maximum hybrids

This study was carried out with the objective of estimating the genetic parameters of agronomic traits in Panicum maximum hybrids. Genotypes obtained from the crosses between the sexual plants S10 and S12 and cultivars Tanzania and Mombasa were evaluated. The design was an incomplete blocks design with two replicates (clones) and 33 blocks. Each block was constituted by three lines or plots with nine plants each, which were evaluated in six harvests. All the characters presented low broad sense heritabilities for both the individual harvest and for the mean of harvests and a large difference between the heritability and the individual repeatability coefficient, which may be due to the high permanent environmental variance, mainly for forage dry matter and leaf dry matter. On the other hand, the percentage of leaves also presented low repeatability and permanent environmental variance. The genotypic coefficients of variation were high, except for leaf percentage, but they were also associated with high residual coefficients of variation. Both the broad sense heritabilities per harvest and for the mean of harvests were of moderate magnitude for the agronomic traits evaluated in hybrid individuals of P. maximum. On the other hand, there is variability for selection of important characters such as total and leaf dry matter yields and selection for leaf percentage needs a greater number of harvests to improve selection efficiency. The genotypes presented great variability for Bipolaris maydis leaf spot incidence and this character can be included in the P. maximum breeding program.

Forage yield and nutritive value of Tanzania grass under nitrogen supplies and plant densities

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the nitrogen and plant density influence on the yield, forage dissection and nutritive value of Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.). The design was of completely randomized blocks with three replications in a factorial arrangement with four nitrogen levels (0, 80, 160 or 320 kg/ha N) and three plant densities (9, 25 or 49 plants/m2). The plots were cut at 25 cm from soil level when the canopy reached 95% of light interception. The total dry matter forage yield and dry matter forage yield per harvest increased linearly with the nitrogen fertilization. The leaf and stem yield had the same response. The senesced forage yield was quadratically influenced by the nitrogen. The stems ratio in the morphologic composition was high in the high nitrogen levels and in the low plant densities. The leaf:stem ratio showed high values in this trial, but it was increased in plots without nitrogen and high plant density. The pre-grazing height was reduced with the increase in plant density. The nutritive value was favored by the nitrogen fertilization, which increased the crude protein level and reduced neutral detergent fiber and lignin. These factors increased the leaf and stem in vitro digestibility of organic matter. Nitrogen fertilization increases the forage yield of Tanzania grass under rotational grazing. After the establishment, plant density has little influence on the Tanzania grass yield and its forage dissection. The harvest with 95% light interception improves the structure and nutritive value of Tanzania grass pastures.

Genetic diversity based on morphological data in Panicum maximum hybrids

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the genetic divergence between hybrids obtained from 10 sexual genitors of the Panicum maximum breeding program at Embrapa Beef Cattle. For this, the following morphological descriptors were used: plant height, growth habit, leaf aspect, leaf waxiness, hair density on the sheath (DePB) and blade (DePL), degree of hardiness of the hairs on the leaf sheath (DuPB) and blade (DuPL) and length of hairs on the sheath and blade. The characteristics growth habit and waxiness were not included in the analysis for being invariant. The phenotypic correlations were low and, therefore, not used to eliminate variables. By the principal component analysis, an 84.3% accumulation of the variation was observed until the fourth component. The last four principal components presented an estimate lower than 0.7 and allowed the identification of the variables DePB, DuPB and DuPL as the least important for diversity studies. The morphological characters used were not efficient to distinguish the progenies, but allowed the formation of morphological groups that converged with the graphic analysis of the principal components. An apparent error rate of 17.04% was observed in the classification of the individuals in the groups and 55.5% in the classification of the individuals in the progenies. The individuals in the P. maximum half-sib progenies are genetically divergent, but may not be grouped with only the descriptors used in this experiment. The pubescence characteristics were the least important in the discrimination of the genotypes.

Influência da localização das fezes nas características morfogênicas e estruturais e no acúmulo de forragem em pastos de capim-braquiária

The objective of this study is to evaluate morphogenetic and structural characteristics as well as forage accumulation on Brachiaria decumbens pastures according to the site of cattle feces. It was evaluated two grazing areas: near and far from the droppings. The design used was a random block design, with three replicates. Tillers were tagged on the pasture for evaluation of length of the leaves and stems. Leaf appearance and death were also recorded. Stem elongation rate was 80% higher and leaf elongation rate was 23% higher for the tillers near the dropping areas. Phyllochron was also higher for tillers (8.5 days) in sites close to the feces in comparison to those from the distant areas (7.7 days). There was no effect of dropping localization on leaf senescence rate (0.39 cm/tiller.day) and leaf life span (38 days). Final leaf blade length was 25% higher for tillers near the droppings. The number of defoliating leaves (1.3 leaf) was lower in areas near the droppings, contrary to the number of dead leaves (2.8 leaves). Pseudostem length increased 73% as it was closer to the droppings. Number of dead and total vegetative tiller was higher in areas far from the droppings. Higher total growth rate of B. decumbens also occurred in sites close to the droppings. Cattle droppings change the morphogenetic characteristics and structure of B. decumbens pasture. In areas close to the feces, the tissue flow is more intense and forage accumulation is higher.

Genotypic stabilization of agronomic traits in Panicum maximum (Jacq.) hybrids

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genotypic stability of agronomic traits in hybrids of Panicum maximum. Hybrids originating from the crosses between two sexual parents and cultivars Mombasa and Tanzania were evaluated in an incomplete-block design. Evaluated traits were total dry matter, leaf dry matter, stem dry matter, percentage of leaves, and leaf:stem ratio. These traits were evaluated in six harvests. Overall, higher repeatability was observed for the traits total dry matter and leaf dry matter, especially when harvests 4, 5, and 6, occurring in spring and summer, were evaluated. The leaf dry matter was the trait that provided the greatest repeatability and determination. The repeatability of stem dry matter, percentage of leaves, and leaf:stem ratio had a low magnitude, even when the coefficient was estimated based on the harvests of better stabilization for the other variables. The hybrids achieved genotypic stabilization in the harvests made in the second rainy season. Harvests made in the rainy season provide greater repeatability and determination, and the inclusion of the dry-season harvest is detrimental to the process of selection of low-repeatability traits such as percentage of leaves.

Repeatability of agronomic characters in Brachiaria brizantha cultivars

This experiment was carried out with the objectives of determining repeatability coefficients, the number of harvests necessary to increase accuracy and the genotypic stability of yield characteristics in Brachiaria brizantha cultivars in the northeast region of Brazil in the period from July 2009 to March 2011. The experimental design used was completely randomized with three treatments (Brachiaria brizantha var. Marandu, Xaraes and Piata) and three replications. Each plot was harvested seven times: five in the rainy season and two in the dry season. Immediately after each harvest, the forage was weighed and dried to obtain total, stem, leaf and dead dry matter yields. For the estimation of the repeatability coefficient, analysis of variance, principal components (correlation and covariance matrices) and structural analyses were used. The repeatability coefficients (r) obtained by the different methods, for all characteristics evaluated, varied from 0.009 to 0.837. The estimates of the repeatability coefficients obtained for all characteristics evaluated by the method of analyses of variance were almost always lower than those obtained by the other methods. By the principal components method (based on the covariance matrix), the estimates were always higher than those from other methods. Considering that levels of 80 or 90% confidence are satisfactory in the evaluation of the relative superiority of the cultivars for all the evaluated characteristics, with the exception of dead matter yield, the seven harvests are sufficient for the choice of the best cultivar to be used in the northeast region of Brazil.

Grazing patterns on signalgrass pasture according to location of cattle feces

This study was conducted to evaluate the defoliation patterns on B. decumbens cv. Basilisk (signalgrass) tiller as a function of influence of feces deposited naturally by cattle. The signalgrass was managed with an average height of 25 cm, under continuous stocking and variable stocking rate. Interval and intensity of defoliation, grazing efficiency and forage loss were evaluated in two sites on pasture - one close and the other distant from feces. The completely randomized block design with three replications was adopted. The defoliation rate of the pasture site close to feces was 40% lower than at that distant from feces. This response pattern was similar to defoliation intensity of leaf blade. The leaf blade of the tiller close to feces also achieved lower de foliation (1.64) than that in the tiller distant from feces (3.97). The relative number of grazed leaf per tiller in the tillers distant from feces was approximately 185% higher than those close to feces. The grazing efficiency was lower in the local close to feces compared with that distant, unlike forage loss. The natural deposition of feces by cattle modifies the grazing and use patterns of B. decumbens under continuous stocking.

Biomass accumulation in mombasa guineagrass plants under different levels of nitrogen supply and plant densities

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different levels of nitrogen supply and plants densities in the productivity of mombasa guineagrass (Panicum maximum) in the period of establishment. The design was of completely randomized blocks, with 12 treatments and three repetitions, with four nitrogen supplies (absence of application, 80, 160 and 320 kg/ha.year) and three plant densities (9, 25 and 49 plants/m²). The plot was cut at 30 cm from the ground when the sward high intercepted 95% of light. The following items were evaluated: sward height at 95% light interception, interval and number of cuts, dry mass production, total dry mass of leaves, stems and dead material and the morphologic composition. Nitrogen increased the dry mass production and the dry mass of stem in winter and summer, and decreased in the fall. The total dry mass of leaf presented decrease of 19% in the summer between the smallest and biggest densities in the 320 kg/ha. The dry mass of dead material had negative effect of the density in the fall. The leaf percentage increased 88% between the smallest and largest nitrogen level at the plant density of 49 plants/m2. Only density influenced the sward height in the condition of 95% of light interception. The number of cuts increased with nitrogen levels in the fall, spring and summer, while the interval of cuts decreased with fertilization in the spring and summer. Nitrogen increases the production of mombasa guineagrass in each cycle.