Growth and disappearance in a natural pasture under four levels of forage on offer

Abstract

The trial was conducted aiming at the evaluation of experimental variables related to the pasture-animal complex for a better management. There were four levels of forage dry matter on offer (FO) – namelly 4%, 8%, 12% and 16% of the liveweight per day – under continuous grazing, arranged in a completely randomized design with two replications. Spring and Summer-Autumn were considered as seasons for the study. The FO determined consistent levels of residual dry matter (DM) of 432, 880, 1,300 and 1,878 kg/ha, respectively, and its growth rates showed a positive linear relationship to FO levels. DM disappearance rates showed a curvilinear relationship to FO in spring and linear in Summer-Autumn and the dry matter production showed linear response (2,512, 3,113, 3,786 and 4,053 kg DM/ha) to FO levels. FO 16% maintained 450 kg LW/ha in both seasons; however, for the treatments with lower FO and lower residual DM/ha, the stocking rate declined as follows: from 800 to 498 kg LW/ha (FO 4%), from 566 to 460 kg LW/ha (FO 8%), and from 474 to 378 kg LW/ha (FO 12%).