Valdo Rodrigues Herling

Produção de massa seca, relação folha/colmo e alguns índices de crescimento do Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraés cultivado com a combinação de doses de nitrogênio e potássio

This work aimed to evaluate dry matter production, leaf/stem ratio and growth indexes of palisade grass cv. Xaraes grown under increasing nitrogen and potassium rates. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse from November, 2004 until February, 2005. The experimental treatments consisted of a 4 ´ 3 factorial arrangement between nitrogen and potassium rates respectively. Nitrogen rates were 0, 75, 150, and 225 mg dm-3, whereas potassium rates were 0; 50 and 100 mg dm-3. The experiment design was completely randomized with four replications. It was verified a positive N fertilization effect both on leaf dry matter yield and total dry matter yield. Potassium influenced these same response variables only at the second harvest. The leaf/stem ratio, leaf area ratio (LAR), specific leaf area (SLA) and, leaf weight ratio (LWR) were affected by treatments only at the third harvest. Increasing N rates reduced these response variables (L/S, LAR, SLA, LWR) while potassium rates behaved in an antagonistic way on LAR and SLA.

Eficiência de pastejo de capim-marandu submetido a diferentes ofertas de forragem

The objective of this work was to evaluate grazing efficiency, herbage disappearance and spatial variability of the sward in Marandu palisadegrass pastures rotationally stocked by yearling Nelore heifers at four levels of herbage allowance, in Pirassununga, SP, Brazil. The experimental treatments were 5, 10, 15, and 20 kg dry matter per 100 kg live weight per day (%), in a randomised blocks design. Herbage disappearance rate increased with rising herbage allowance, and wide-ranging from 2.3 to 6.5 kg DM per 100 kg LW per day in 2003, and from 2.3 to 6.2 kg DM per 100 kg PV per day in 2004. Conversely, herbage disappearance per area differed among treatments only in 2004, and was highest at 20% of herbage allowance (44 kg ha -1 per day). Grazing efficiency decreased with rising herbage allowance, averaged 64% in 2003 and 55% in 2004 for 5% of herbage allowance. The increasing herbage allowance shows as consequence the increase herbage disappearance rate and an exponentially decrease of grazing efficiency.

Quantifying herbage mass on rotationally stocked palisadegrass pastures using indirect methods

Metodos indiretos e nao-destrutivos para a estimativa da massa de forragem no pasto podem auxiliar o manejador no estabelecimento de estrategias otimas de pastejo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar metodos indiretos de estimativa de massa de forragem em pastos de capim Marandu [Brachiaria brizantha (A. Rich.) Stapf] sob lotacao rotativa durante dois anos. Para descrever as relacoes entre massa de forragem e dois metodos testados (altura do dossel e disco ascendente) foram empregadas regressoes lineares. As equacoes geradas apresentaram coeficiente de determinacao medio (r2) de 0,82 e 0,91 para o disco e altura, respectivamente. A epoca do ano exerceu influencia sobre o coeficiente angular (b) e o intercepto (a) das regressoes de ambos os metodos. Essa alteracao dos componentes das curvas ao longo do tempo indica a necessidade de frequente revalidacao dos modelos.

New methods to quantify NH3 volatilization from fertilized surface soil with urea

Gaseous N losses from soil are considerable, resulting mostly from ammonia volatilization linked to agricultural activities such as pasture fertilization. The use of simple and accessible measurement methods of such losses is fundamental in the evaluation of the N cycle in agricultural systems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate quantification methods of NH3 volatilization from fertilized surface soil with urea, with minimal influence on the volatilization processes. The greenhouse experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design with 13 treatments and five replications, with the following treatments: (1) Polyurethane foam (density 20 kg m-3) with phosphoric acid solution absorber (foam absorber), installed 1, 5, 10 and 20 cm above the soil surface; (2) Paper filter with sulfuric acid solution absorber (paper absorber, 1, 5, 10 and 20 cm above the soil surface); (3) Sulfuric acid solution absorber (1, 5 and 10 cm above the soil surface); (4) Semi-open static collector; (5) 15N balance (control). The foam absorber placed 1 cm above the soil surface estimated the real daily rate of loss and accumulated loss of NH3N and proved efficient in capturing NH3 volatized from urea-treated soil. The estimates based on acid absorbers 1, 5 and 10 cm above the soil surface and paper absorbers 1 and 5 cm above the soil surface were only realistic for accumulated N-NH3 losses. Foam absorbers can be indicated to quantify accumulated and daily rates of NH3 volatilization losses similarly to an open static chamber, making calibration equations or correction factors unnecessary.

Brachiaria species identification using imaging techniques based on fractal descriptors

Abstract The use of a rapid and accurate method in diagnosis and classification of species and/or cultivars of forage has practical relevance, scientific and trade in various areas of study, since it has broad representation in grazing from tropical regions. Nowadays it occupies about 90% of the grazing area along Brazil and, besides the grazing areas to feed ruminants, Brachiaria also corresponds to about 80% of seeds being traded in all the world, bringing a large amount of money to Brazil. To identify species and/or cultivars of this genus is of fundamental importance in the fields that produce seeds, to ensure varietal purity and the effectiveness of improvement programs. Thus, leaf samples of fodder plant species Brachiaria were previously identified, collected and scanned to be treated by means of artificial vision to make the database and be used in subsequent classifications. Forage crops used were: Brachiaria decumbens cv. IPEAN; Brachiaria ruziziensis Germain & Evrard; Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex. A. Rich.) Stapf; Brachiaria arrecta (Hack.) Stent. and Brachiaria spp. The images were analyzed by the fractal descriptors method, where a set of measures are obtained from the values of the fractal dimension at different scales. Therefore such values are used as inputs for a state-of-the-art classifier, the Support Vector Machine, which finally discriminates the images according to the respective species. The proposed method outperforms other state-of-the-art image analysis methods and makes possible the correct prediction of species in more than 93% of the samples. Such remarkable result is consequence of the better suitability of representing complex structures like those arising in the plant leaves by measures of complexity from fractal geometry. Finally, this high correctness rate suggests that the fractal method is an important tool to help the botanist.

Response of Tanzania grass to nitrogen and irrigation depth. I: Production of forage

With the objective to study the effect of total depth of water, nitrogen fertilization and their interaction on the growth factors, production, efficiency of use and forage quality as well as to determine production functions for total, foliar and stem dry matter of Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania) with the intention to obtain level of maximum and economic production of each analyzed production factor. The experiment was carried out in split-split-plot, where in the main plots the different irrigation levels were distributed (0, 30, 70,100 and 150% of field capacity (FC)), in the split plot the levels of nitrogen (0, 100, 275, 756 and 2079 kg N ha-1 year-1) and in the split-split plot the three climatic periods (summer, winter and spring). The higher irrigation regimes provided negative effects on the production of dry matter. The use of nitrogen levels above 756 kg N ha-1 year-1 did not show effect on the production of dry matter, the increments in the total and foliar production of dry matter for the levels of 100, 275, 756 and 1.769 kg N ha-1 year-1 were 15, 19, 29 and 20% (16% foliar), respectively.

Effects of types, levels and incorporation of limestone on agronomical and physiological characteristics of Tobiatã grass (Panicum maximum Jacq. cv. Tobiatã)

In a degraded pasture of Tobiata grass (Panicum maximum Jacq cv. Tobiata), in Pirassununga - SP, an experiment was carried out to observe the effects of levels and types of limestone with or without incorporation on the tillering, ground cover and pasture productivity during six cuts from 1996 to 1997. There was no response in the dry matter yield to by the levels and types of limestone, however the practice of limestone incorporation using harrow was effective, and based in the cuts there was an increase of dry matter production in the summer and reduction in the winter. The ground cover presented 72.8% of occupation by the forage grass and it indicated a trend of bare ground in the treatments with calcinated limestone.In a degraded pasture of Tobiatã grass (Panicum maximum Jacq cv. Tobiatã), in Pirassununga SP, an experiment was carried out to observe the effects of levels and types of limestone with or without incorporation on the tillering, ground cover and pasture productivity during six cuts from 1996 to 1997. There was no response in the dry matter yield to by the levels and types of limestone, however the practice of limestone incorporation using harrow was effective, and based in the cuts there was an increase of dry matter production in the summer and reduction in the winter. The ground cover presented 72.8% of occupation by the forage grass and it indicated a trend of bare ground in the treatments with calcinated limestone.

Effect of silicate fertilization on soil and on palisade grass plants under grazing intensities

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Performance and productivity of Nellore steers on rotationally stocked palisadegrass ( Brachiaria brizantha ) pastures in response to herbage allowance

Herbage allowance (HA) impacts performance of grazing cattle as well as sward structure and herbage yield. The objective of the current study was to compare average daily gain (ADG) of Nellore steers on Marandu palisadegrass ( Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst ex A. Rich.) Stapf. cv. Marandu) pastures in response to HA. Treatments were applied as 5, 10, 15 and 20 kg dry matter (DM) per 100 kg live weight (LW) per day HA 5 , HA 10 , HA 15 and HA 20 ), in rotationally stocked pastures under a 35-day grazing cycle (28 days of rest and 7 days of grazing). The trial was carried out in Pirassununga, Brazil, during two summer seasons in 2003 and 2004, each divided into four grazing cycles. Individual animal (250 kg yearling steers) gain increased with HA up to HA 15 (mean=0·69 kg/head per day) during each of four grazing cycles per year. The 2-year gain per area was greater for HA 5 and HA 10 than for HA 15 and HA 20 and average stocking rate was 9·6, 6·7, 5·4 and 4·6 head/ha for HA 5 to HA 20 , respectively. In addition to the effects of HA on ADG, changes in sward structure, especially sward height, help to explain variation in daily gain in both years. The HA 10 treatment provides higher gain per area without excessively reducing individual animal performance, and thus may be the level of choice for optimizing animal output in pasture-only systems.

Ammonia Volatilization from Exposed Soil and Tanzania Grass Pasture Fertilized with Urea and Zeolite Mixture

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a zeolite and urea mixture on ammonia volatilization. Two experiments were carried out: a greenhouse pot experiment and a field trial with Tanzania grass pasture. The pot experiment used five zeolite ratios (0, 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 percent relative to the N-urea level used) mixed with 100 kg ha−1 of nitrogen (N). The field trial used four treatments: 0, 12.5, 25, and 50 percent of zeolite, at the dose of 50 kg ha−1. In the greenhouse experiment, the smallest losses by volatilization occurred at the proportions of 25 percent and 100 percent. During the summer, the mixture of 25 percent of zeolite in N-urea led to a reduction in ammonia volatilization from 33.5 to 7.6 kg ha−1. However, in the winter, volatilization was very low, and there were no differences between the treatments. The addition of 25 percent of zeolite in urea was the most appropriate relation.