Tropical tanniniferous legumes used as an option to mitigate sheep enteric methane emission.

This study presents the first results from Brazil using SF(6) tracer technique adapted from cattle to evaluate the capability of condensed tannin (CT) present in three tropical legume forages, Leucaena leucocephala (LEU), Styzolobium aterrimum (STA), and Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia Benth (MIM) to reduce enteric CH(4) production in Santa Inês sheep. Twelve male lambs [27.88 ± 2.85 kg body weight (BW)] were allocated in individual metabolic cages for 20-day adaptation followed by 6 days for measuring dry matter intake (DMI) and CH(4) emission. All lambs received water, mineral supplement, and Cynodon dactylon v. coast-cross hay ad libitum. The treatments consisted of soybean meal (710 g/kg) and ground corn (290 g/kg) [control (CON)]; soybean meal (150 g/kg), ground corn (30 g/kg), and Leucaena hay (820 g/kg) (LEU); soybean meal (160 g/kg), ground corn (150 g/kg), and Mucuna hay (690 g/kg) (STA); and soybean meal (280 g/kg), ground corn (190 g/kg), and Mimosa hay (530 g/kg) (MIM); all calculated to provide 40 g/kg CT (except for CON). DMI (in grams of DMI per kilogram BW per day) was lower for LEU (22.0) than CON (29.3), STA (31.2), and MIM (31.6). The LEU group showed emission of 7.8 g CH(4)/day, significantly lower than CON (10.5 g CH(4)/day), STA (10.4 g CH(4)/day), and MIM (11.3 g CH(4)/day). However, when the CH(4) emission per DMI was considered, there were no significant differences among treatments (0.37, 0.36, 0.33, and 0.35 g CH(4)/g DMI/kg BW/day, respectively, for CON, LEU, STA, and MIM). The sheep receiving STA had shown a tendency (p = 0.15) to reduce methane emission when compared to the CON group. Therefore, it is suggested that tropical tanniniferous legumes may have potential to reduce CH(4) emission in sheep, but more research is warranted to confirm these results.

Influence of different supplements and sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) cultivars on intake, digestible variables and methane production of dairy heifers under tropical conditions.

The sulphur hexafluoride (SF(6)) gas tracer method was used to measure methane (CH(4)) production of crossbred (3/4 Holstein x Zebu) dairy heifers fed two types of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.; cultivar IAC-862480 (CC1) or cultivar IAC-873184 (CC2)) and supplemented with urea or concentrate. The study was performed at Embrapa Southeast Cattle, São Carlos, SP, Brazil, using a completely randomised design. Differences between treatments were significant for digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and energy. When animals were supplemented with urea differences between sugarcane cultivars did occur for NDF consumption, but not for daily methane production. This suggest that variation in chemical composition of sugarcane did not affect bovine ruminal CH(4) emissions. Concentrate inclusion in animal diet increased digestible organic matter intake, improving the nutrient intake by animals, but did not reduce CH(4) production expressed as a percentage of gross energy intake.

Previsão da perda de solo na Fazenda Canchim - SP (EMBRAPA) utilizando geoprocessamento e o USLE 2D / Loss of soil determination in Fazenda Canchim - SP (EMBRAPA) using geographic information systems and USLE 2D

Os modelos hidrossedimentológicos têm enorme potencial no Brasil para ser a melhor ferramenta de estimativa de perda de solo, devido principalmente a sua complexidade na descrição dos processos e sua robustez que os fundamenta. Entretanto, devido à necessidade de uma quantidade muito grande de informações requerida, aliada a dificuldades de adaptações desses modelos internacionais e necessidade de tempo e estrutura para criação de modelos nacionais, a Equação Universal de Perda de Solo (EUPS) e suas variações ainda são uma referência no Brasil para determinação de perda de solo. Neste trabalho, utilizou-se um atual modelo de cálculo do fator LS, o Software USLE 2D, em conjunto com o IDRISI. A aplicação foi feita na Fazenda Canchim da Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste; consistindo o primeiro trabalho desta natureza realizado nessa área com tais ferramentas. Os resultados obtidos mostraram-se coerentes com os tipos de solo, as declividades e a cobertura vegetal da área de estudo.

The hydrosedimentological models have an enormous potential in Brazil to be the best tool for the estimative of soil lost principally due to their complexity on description of the processes and the robustness that validate them. However, due to a need of a very big volume of required information in connection with the difficulties to adapt the international models and the need of time and structure to create national models, the Universal Soil Lost Equation (USLE) and its variations still are a reference in Brazil to soil lost determination. In this article, a new model to calculate the SL factor, the USLE 2D Software combined with the IDRISI were used. The inedited application was done in Southeast Cattle Breeding Embrapa's Canchim Farm, consisting on the first work of this nature done in this area with such tools. The results obtained were coherent to types of soil, slopes and vegetal cover in the area of study.

Adubação e produção de Paspalum em dois níveis de fertilidade de Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo: estabelecimento e manutenção / Paspalum fertilizer response and yield in two fertility level of an oxisol (Hapludox): establishment and maintenance

Foram determinadas as doses de N, P2O5 e K2O necessárias para a obtenção da máxima produção de forragem de Paspalum regnellii, em dois níveis de fertilidade do solo, quanto a P e K. Os experimentos foram instalados em Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo Distrófico típico, em São Carlos, SP. Utilizou-se fatorial fracionado (1/2)4³ com dois blocos ao acaso, total de 32 parcelas, sem repetição. Os tratamentos foram quatro doses de N e de K2O (0, 100, 200 e 300 kg ha-1 no primeiro e segundo ano), como uréia e cloreto de potássio respectivamente, e quatro doses de P2O5 (0, 80, 160, 240 kg ha-1 no primeiro ano e 0, 70, 140 e 210 kg ha-1 no segundo ano), como superfosfato triplo. No período das chuvas, foram realizados cortes a cada 35 dias de descanso em média. As doses de N, P e K para a máxima produção de forragem de Paspalum regnellii, no primeiro ano foram, em kg ha-1: N = 210, P2O5 = 240, K2O = 190, no solo com fertilidade baixa e N = 250, P2O5 = 240, K2O = 180 no solo com fertilidade média, e no segundo ano: N = 300, P2O5 = 210, K2O = 300, no solo com fertilidade baixa e N = 300, P2O5 = 190, K2O = 290 no solo com fertilidade média, com produções de matéria seca de, respectivamente, 5.428 kg ha-1 e 7.789 kg ha-1 no primeiro ano, e no segundo ano de 13.084 e 10.468 kg ha-1.

The goal of this work was to determine the best rates of N, P2O5, and K2O to get maximum forage yield of Paspalum regnellii Bra 019186 grown in two soil fertility levels: low and medium in P and K. The experiments were set up in a typical Red-yellow latosol (Hapludox), in São Carlos, SP, Brazil. Experimental design was an incomplete (1/2)4³ factorial with a total of 32 plots, in two randomized blocks, without replication. Treatments were four rates of N and K2O (0, 100, 200, and 300 kg ha-1 in the first and second year), using urea and potassium chloride, and four rates of P2O5 ( 0, 80, 160, 240 kg ha-1 in the first year and 70, 140, 210 kg ha-1 in the second year), using triple superphosphate. Cuttings were done, mainly each 35 days, in the rain season. The N, P, K rates for maximum yield in the first year were, in kg ha-1 with low fertility: N = 210, P2O5 = 240 , K2O = 190; and with medium fertility: N = 250 , P2O5 = 240, K2O = 180, and in the second year: N = 300, P2O5 = 210, K2O = 300, in soil with low fertility, and N = 300 , P2O5 = 190, K2O = 290 in soil with medium fertility, resulting in forage yields of, respectively, 5,428 and 7,789 kg ha-1 of dry matter in the first year, and of 13,084 e 10,468 kg ha-1 in the second year.