Effects of increasing nitrogen levels in Mombasa grass on pasture characteristics, chemical composition, and beef cattle
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Effects of increasing nitrogen levels in Mombasa grass on pasture characteristics, chemical composition, and beef cattle performance in the humid tropics of the Amazon Rafael de Oliveira da Silva 1 & Fabrícia Rocha Chaves Miotto 1 & José Neuman Miranda Neiva 1 & Luis Felipe Felix Monteiro da Silva 1 & Ithálo Barros de Freitas 1 & Vera Lúcia Araújo 1 & João Restle 2 Received: 18 March 2020 / Accepted: 21 July 2020 # Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Improving beef cattle production in pasture-based systems without expanding agricultural land has been the focus of several studies over the last decades. Nitrogen fertilization is one of the available strategies with high potential to optimize cattle performance in tropical systems. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of increasing nitrogen levels (150, 300, and 450 kg ha−1 of N year−1) in Megathyrsus maximus cv. Mombasa in the humid tropics of the Amazon. The following parameters were evaluated: pasture agronomic characteristics, herbage chemical composition, and beef cattle performance. A total of 24 nine-month-old Nellore bulls with initial mean weight of 173 ± 1.95 kg were used for the performance test. The experimental design was a randomized block with three treatments. Herbage mass and leaf mass contents were increased by the highest nitrogen level (P < 0.05). Nitrogen levels elevated the forage accumulation rate, final leaf blade length, and pre-grazing canopy height(P < 0.05). The crude protein content increased at the highest N level (P < 0.05). The neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber contents decreased with increasing N levels. The stocking rate and total weight gain per hectare were higher in bulls grazing pastures fertilized with 450 compared with 150 kg ha−1 of N year−1(P < 0.05). The average daily gain was influenced by N levels (P < 0.05). Nitrogen levels at 300 and 450 kg increased animal weight gain and productivity per area by increasing forage yield and improving the chemical composition of Mombasa grass. Keywords Forage . Forage dry mass . Nellore . Stocking rate . Tillers
Introduction Tropical pastures are the primary feed source in Brazilian beef cattle systems and are responsible for making Brazil the country with one of the lowest meat production costs in the world (Carvalho et al. 2009). It is estimated that there are approximately 164.96 million hectares of cultivated and natural pastures in Brazil, which are responsible for approximately 90% of Brazilian beef cattle production (IBGE 2018; Lobato et al. 2014). Improper pasture management, such as inappropriate
* Rafael de Oliveira da Silva [email protected] 1
School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Federal University of Tocantins, Araguaína, Tocantins, Brazil
2
Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
canopy height management, lack of topdressing fertilization, and weed control, results in low stocking rates and animal production per area (Strassburg et al. 2014) in the Brazilian livestock system. Gi
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