Dinâmica do perfilhamento e taxa de ingestão instantânea de forragem em pastagem de azevém sob diferentes períodos de descanso

Abstract

The overseeding cool season forages like Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) on warm season forages like Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.) is an option to increase the productivity and sustainability of production systems. In addition, the presence of legumes in this intercropping can add quality, incorporating nitrogen into the soil. Pasture management must be carried out in such a way as to allow the constant appearance of new generations of tillers throughout the forage cycle, increasing its productivity. In mixed canopy structures, the herbivore needs to develop different defoliation strategies, changing their ingestive pattern and intake rate. Thus, evaluating the mechanisms used in the animal adaptation, as well as the changes in the intake rate, can assist in making decisions about pasture management. The objective this research was to evaluate the tiller dynamics and herbage intake rate in Italian ryegrass intercropped with Red clover and Tifton 85, utilized by lambs. Initially, an experiment was conducted evaluating cutting intervals determined by different thermal sums (125, 250, 375, and 500 degree-days (DD)). In this study the experimental design was in randomized blocks, using the average value of the data collected in two years of evaluation (2016/17). In the year 2017 was conducted other experiment to evaluate the herbage intake rate by lambs. Data were collected from August/2017 to January/2018 and grouped according to the percentage participation of ryegrass in the forage mass (FM) - greater than 40%; 20 to 40%; 0 to 20%. The experimental design was completely randomized, with repeated measures arrangement. The cutting intervals determined difference in rates processes of tillering. The cutting intervals of 125º and 250º DD determined the biggest tiller population density. Use of 125º and 500º DD cutting intervals did not affect the tiller population stability of ryegrass intercropped with red clover and Tifton 85. Evaluating the herbage intake rate by lambs it was observed that bite mass, dry matter intake and herbage intake rate were similar among the different participations of ryegrass in the FM, however, there was an increase in the bite rate and feeding time to keep the intake rate constant. Overseeding of cool season forages on warm season forages is recommended because extends the period of grazing and allows animals to maintain their forage intake, even at grazing transition from one to another forage species.