Shading effects on canopy and tillering characteristics of continuously stocked palisadegrass in a silvopastoral system in the Amazon biome |
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| Authors: | Fagner Junior Gomes Bruno Carneiro Pedreira Patrícia Menezes Santos Cristiam Bosi Carlos Guilherme Silveira Pedreira |
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| Institution: | 1. Dept. Zootecnia, “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture, Univ. of São Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil;2. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Agrossilvipastoril), Sinop, Brazil;3. Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste), São Carlos, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | In silvopastoral (SP) systems, forage responses depend on the microenvironment in which the plants develop. Our objective was to evaluate canopy and tillering characteristics of shaded 'Marandu' palisadegrass Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst A Rich) Stapf, syn. Urochloa brizantha] under continuous stocking in a SP system. Treatments were one full sun (FS) and three shaded systems (silvopasture, SP) corresponding to distances from tree groves: 7.5 m north (SP1), and 15 m (SP2) and 7.5 m south (SP3) studied during two rainy seasons (Year 1 and Year 2). The tree in the SP system was Eucalyptus urograndis (hybrid of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden × Eucalyptus urophylla S. T. Blake). The photosynthetic active radiation was greater in FS (923 μmol m-2 s-1), followed by SP2 (811 μmol m-2 s-1), SP1 (727 μmol m-2 s-1) and SP3 (673 μmol m-2 s-1). Forage accumulation in FS was 15% greater than the mean of SP1, SP2 and SP3 (10,663 kg DM/ha). There was no difference in net accumulation of leaf, stem and dead material, averaging 3,302, 3,420 and 4,063 kg DM/ha respectively. Leaf accumulation and accumulation rate were greater in Year 2, and leaf accumulation rate was similar among treatments (19 kg DM ha?1 day?1). Leaf proportion increased 14% from Year 1 to Year 2. Specific leaf area was greater for treatments SP1 and SP3 (193 cm2/g). Tiller population density was similar across treatments in Year 1. Shaded palisadegrass maintains leaf productivity similar to FS under continuous stocking in an SP system. |
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| Keywords: | livestock forest integration productive planning silvopasture sustainable intensification |
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