Citrus Pulp Replacing Corn in the Supplement Decreased Fibre Digestibility with No Impacts on Performance of Cattle Grazing Marandu Palisade Grass in the Wet-Dry Transition Period.

The wet-dry transition period brings unique challenges to cattle producers in the tropics as the forage quality starts to decrease and animal performance is negatively affected unless supplementation strategies are applied. Two experiments were conducted concomitantly to evaluate the performance and metabolic parameters of cattle supplemented with two different energy sources under a C4 tropical grass continuous grazing system in the wet-dry transition period. In experiment (exp) 1, the liveweight (LW) gain of 42 growing Bos indicus Nellore bulls allocated to 12 paddocks of Uruchloa brizantha cv. Marandu, in a completely randomized block design, was evaluated to compare corn and citrus pulp-based supplements offered at 0.5% LW. Metabolism was evaluated in exp 2 with eight rumen-cannulated Nellore steers in an incomplete replicated Latin square design (RLSD) 4 × 2 (steers × treatment) fed the same two treatments as in exp 1. No differences in animal performance were observed between corn or citrus pulp-based supplements. Rumen pH, ammonia nitrogen, and blood urea nitrogen were lower in the rumen of animals supplemented with citrus pulp. Despite this, there were no differences in total dry matter intake amongst the two energy sources. The neutral detergent fibre digestibility of the diet containing corn decreased, but it neither affected performance nor liveweight gain per area. The findings suggest that corn can be replaced by citrus pulp with neither detrimental effects on animal performance nor indirect effects on pastures productivity.

Ingestive behavior of supplemented Nellore heifers grazing palisadegrass pastures managed with different sward heights.

Three sward heights (15, 25 and 35 cm) and three supplement types (energy, energy-protein, and a mineral mix supplement) were evaluated in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement distributed in a completely randomized design to study changes in forage search patterns in Nellore heifers in a continuous grazing system. Pasture data were collected using two replicates (paddocks) per treatment over four periods during the rainy season. The behavior assessments were made in the first and fourth grazing seasons. It was hypothesized that supplements and pasture management would modify ingestive behavior, considering that animals would require less time grazing if they had energy requirements met through higher digestibility of better managed paddocks, or use of supplements high in energy. Total and green forage masses along with green : dead material ratio were greater in treatments managed with higher sward heights. Sward managed with 35 cm height resulted in lower leaf : stem ratio compared with 15 cm sward height treatments. The animals on the 15 cm pastures spent more time grazing overall and during each meal, but there were no differences observed in meal numbers in comparison to 35 cm treatments. Heifers fed protein and/or energy supplements spent less time grazing in the early afternoon, but overall grazing time was the same for all animals.

Produtividade de grãos de milho e massa seca de braquiárias em consórcio no sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária / Corn grain yield and dry mass of Brachiaria intercrops in the crop-livestock integration system

Objetivou-se avaliar as produtividades de grãos de milho e massa seca de braquiárias em duas modalidades de consórcio em sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária no período de inverno-primavera em região do Cerrado. O experimento foi conduzido no ano de 2006, na Fazenda de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão (FEPE), pertencente à Faculdade de Engenharia (FE/UNESP - Campus de Ilha Solteira), localizada no município de Selvíria, MS. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi de blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial 4x2, com cinco repetições. Os tratamentos constituíram-se de quatro espécies de braquiárias (Brachiaria brizantha cv. 'Marandu', Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria ruziziensis e Brachiaria híbrido cv. 'Mulato II') consorciadas na linha e a lanço no momento da semeadura do milho. Avaliaram-se os componentes da produção, a produtividade do milho, bem como a massa seca das braquiárias após a colheita do milho. As forrageiras consorciadas a lanço, com destaque para a Brachiaria ruziziensis proporcionaram menor desenvolvimento das plantas de milho e menores valores dos componentes da produção, bem como da produtividade de grãos. Apesar de satisfatórias produtividades de massa seca (acima de 2.500kg ha-1), com exceção da Brachiaria brizantha, as demais espécies consorciadas a lanço foram superiores, com destaque para a Brachiaria decumbens e a Brachiaria ruziziensis que apresentaram maior adaptabilidade e produtividade de forragem no consórcio com milho em sistema de integração lavoura-pecuária.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the corn grain yield and dry mass of Brachiaria forage in two intercrop in crop-livestock integration system at winter-spring season in the Brazilian Cerrado. The experiment was carried out during the 2006 growing season, at the Engineering College Experimental Station (FE/UNESP, Ilha Solteira Campus), Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. The experimental design used was in randomized blocks, in factorial scheme (4x2), with five replications. The treatments were four Brachiaria species (Brachiaria brizantha cv. 'Marandu', Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria ruziziensis and Brachiaria híbrido cv. 'Mulato II') intercropped on rows and spread on total area during corn sowing. It were evaluated the production components, the grain corn yield and the dry mass yield of Brachiaria forage after the corn harvest. The forages intercropped at spread on total area, with emphasis to Brachiaria ruziziensis, provided lower development of corn plants, lower values of production components and grain yield. Although the dry mass yield was satisfactory (above 2,500kg ha-1), except for Brachiaria brizantha, the other species intercropped at spread on total area were higher, with highlight to Brachiaria decumbens and Brachiaria ruziziensis that showed greater adaptability and forage yield at corn intercrop in crop-livestock integration system.

Produtividade da soja correlacionada com a porosidade e a densidade de um Latossolo Vermelho do cerrado brasileiro / Soybean yield correlated with the porosity and the density of a red Latosol of the Brazilian Savanna

No ano agrícola de 2004/05, na Fazenda Experimental da FE/Unesp-Campus de Ilha Solteira, localizada no Município de Selvíria, Mato Grosso do Sul - (MS), foram estudadas a variabilidade e a dependência espacial entre a macroporosidade (MA), a microporosidade (MI), a porosidade total (PT) e a densidade do solo (DS), em três profundidades, com a produtividade da soja (PG), em sistema plantio direto, sobre um Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico. O objetivo foi pesquisar a variabilidade e as correlações lineares e espaciais entre os atributos da planta e do solo, visando a selecionar um indicador da qualidade física do solo para a produtividade da soja. Foi instalada a malha geoestatística, para a coleta de dados do solo e da planta, contendo 124 pontos amostrais, numa área de 4.000m². A correlação linear entre a produtividade de grãos de soja com os atributos do solo estudados foi baixa. Houve correlação espacial direta entre a PG e a MA nas camadas de zero-0,10m e 0,10-0,20m. A macroporosidade do solo (MA1), avaliada na camada de zero-0,10m, apresentou-se como o melhor indicador da qualidade física do solo quando destinada à avaliação da produtividade de soja, nas condições de plantio direto, em solo de cerrado.

The variability and the spatial dependence attributes of the following plant and soil: a) the soybean yield (SY) in no-tillage and irrigated, b) the macroporosity (MA), c) microporosity (MI), d) total porosity (TP), e) and bulk density (BD), in depths of 1 (0-0.10m), 2 (0.10-0.20m) and 3 (0.20-0.30 m), in a Red Latosol of the Engineering college of the São Paulo State University (FE/UNESP) in the Ilha Solteira campus, located in Selvíria County, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, were analyzed in the agricultural year of 2004/05. The main goal was to study the variability and the linear and spatial correlations among the attributes (plant and soil), aiming to select an index of soil physical quality with good capacity to represent the soybean yield. A geostatistical grid to collect soil and plant data was installed, with one hundred and twenty four sample points, in an area of 4000m². The linear relationship between soybean yield and physical attributes of soil studied was low. So, there was a direct spatial relationship between SY and MA1 (0-0.10m), as well as between SY and MA2 (0.10-0.20m). The MA1 showed its best index of the soil physical quality, when it was destined to estimate the soybean yield on no-tillage.