Alternativas de manejo para pastagem natural na serra do sudeste

Abstract

The work was carried out to evaluate characteristics of natural grassland and body development of rearing beef heifers, submitted to different types of grazing management in the spring / summer period. The experiment was conducted in natural pasture belonging to EMBRAPA Pecuária Sul, in the municipality of Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul, from October 2014 to March 2015. The treatments were continuous and rotational grazing methods, both managed on variable stocking rate based on forage mass above 8 cm. The experimental animals were Brangus heifers from EMBRAPA Pecuária Sul cattle herd, with initial weight of 267 kg and 18 months old. The stocking rate was increasing during the trial period. The available forage on offer was similar between treatments and between the two periods. There was no interaction treatment x period for average daily gain (ADG), gain per area (GPA) and body condition score (BCS) and these variables were similar between treatments (P> 0.05). At the end of the experiment average heifers reproductive tract score (RTS) was 3.68. The descriptor variables of sward structure showed no significant difference between grazing methods (P>0.05), except for the percentage of stems (P=0.003) that was higher in the continuous treatment (16.06%). Species of greater participation and relative coverage in the area were evaluated Paspalum notatum, Paspalum pumilum, Axonopus affinis, Mnesithea selloana, and the exotic Eragrostis plana species. The descriptor variables of interest and importance of the species did not differ between grazing methods (P>0.05) or interaction treatment x station. For average canopy height there was no difference between treatments (P= 0.798) nor interaction treatment x station (P=0.621). The importance value index (IVI) showed no difference between treatments (P=0.798), or interaction treatment x station (P=0.901). Management of a natural pasture, both under continuous as rotational grazing, during the spring-summer period, enables proper body development for mating beef heifers at 24 months. The grazing method did not change the structure and dynamics of vegetation in the study period. Continuous grazing reduced the floristic diversity comparing to rotational grazing, with clear dominance of Eragrostis plana species.