The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of urea addition and two storage periods on the nutritive value and fermentation profile of sorghum silage. A randomized complete design was used, in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement, with urea doses (0; 2.5; 5.0 and 7.5% in DM) and two storage periods (30 and 60 days). The PVC silos, 50 cm high and 10 cm in diameter, were used to ensilage the sorghum. Urea doses had a quadratic effect on […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the susceptibility to aerobic deterioration and dry matter losses of fresh sugarcane and silages with or without chemical additives, and diets composed formulated with these bulks. The experiments were conducted in a complete randomized design with four replications, consisting of fresh or ensilaged sugarcane with calcium oxide or limestone at the level of 1% fresh matter. The aerobic stability was assessed of the bulks and diets by monitoring temperature, pH and dry […]

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the forms of phosphorus application, soil sampling and row spacing on critical levels of phosphorus in the soil and shoot for the establishment of elephant grass cv. Napier. The treatments were arranged in three randomized blocks and consisted of five phosphorus levels (0, 1, 2, 3.3 and 5) corresponding, respectively, to 0, 30, 60, 100 and 150 kg/ha P for application on the bottom of the furrow and to 0, 60, 120, 200 […]

The objective of this study was to select superior genotypes in half-sib populations obtained from crosses between sexual plants and apomictic accessions. The experiment also proposed to compare among and within family and combined selection strategies. Ten plots of sexual plants were randomly distributed among 230 plots of apomictic accessions. After natural pollination, seeds of each sexual plant constituted a half-sib family. Thirty plants of each female progenitor were evaluated in a randomized block design experiment, with five plants per […]

The objective of this study was, by using a path analysis of seed yield in white clover, to obtain basic information for use in management strategies for higher seed production and higher natural reseeding and greater persistence of the species in the pasture. The following variables were analyzed: number of flower buds, number of inflorescences, number of mature inflorescences, number of legumes/inflorescence, weight of 100 seeds and seed yield. The variable most correlated with seed yield was the number of […]

Fermentation kinetics and degradation rates of three tropical forage species (Tanzania grass, Marandu grass and Tifton 85 grass) were evaluated by the in vitro gas production technique. The forages were harvested at 28, 35 and 42 days of regrowth during two periods, January-March and April-June. In the January-March period, Marandu grass presented the greatest values of fraction A, potential degradability (PD) and effective degradability for a passage rate of 2 %/hour (ED2). In the April-June period, Marandu and Tanzania grasses […]

The morphological and structural characteristics and dry matter production of signalgrass (Brachiaria decumbens, cv. Basilisk) and forage peanut (Arachis pintoi, cv. Amarillo) were evaluated in response to different shading levels (0, 50 and 70%). A randomized complete block design was used with four replications. Three and two harvests for signalgrass and forage peanut were made, respectively. Forage peanut showed significant reduction in dry matter production with shading, only in the second harvest. Dry matter production of signalgrass decreased linearly in […]

Ingestive behaviour of beef heifers and sward structural characteristics of Pearl Millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke) were evaluated. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete design following a repeated measure arrangement (three experimental periods) with three replications of two leaf blade masses (600 and 1,000 kg/ha DM), which were maintained using continuous grazing with variable stocking rate. The variables measured were sward height, herbage mass, leaf blade and stem bulk density in sward vertical strata (sward structural characteristics), […]

The objective of this trial was to investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of feeding sites stratified by strips of herbage mass and sward height, and the percentage of effectively grazed area, herbage growth rate and dry matter yield of a natural pasture from Pampa Biome managed with different herbage allowance management strategies. A randomized block design with two replications was used with three fixed herbage allowance (8, 12 and 16%) and three herbage allowance variables throughout the year (8-12%, 12-8%, and […]

Aiming to evaluate the influence of native pasture structure in the intake process of grazing ewes and calves, four sward heights (4, 8, 12 and 16 cm) were established. A completely randomized design with four treatments and two replicates in time and space was used. Bite mass and forage intake were estimated by the short-term weight changes technique, corrected for the rate of insensible weight loss, during a 45 minutes test. The grazing and mastication jaw movements were registered by […]