Harvest managing and plant spacing of spinelles fodder cactus, under grain sorghum intercropping at the semi-arid region of Pernambuco State, Brazil

Abstract

This trial was carried out in the semi-arid region of Pernambuco, aiming to study plant spacing and harvest frequencies and intensities of forage cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.). An experimental design in a split plot design was applied, in which plant spacing were used as the main plots and harvest frequencies and intensities as the subplots. Results presented in this work are related to a twelve-year period. The dry matter yields of forage cactus, sorghum grains and stover were: 5.23, 1.65 and 2.07; 4.51, 1.30 and 2.10; 2.75, 1.97 and 3.5 ton/ha/year, for plant spacing 2.0 m x 1.0 m; 3.0 m x 1.0 m x 0.50 m and 7.0 m x 1.0 m x 0.50 m, respectively. Dry matter yield was different between harvest frequencies, when primary articles were conserved: 4.08 ton/ha/year under a four-year cutting frequency and 3.43 ton/ha/year under a two-year frequency. Yield increased with plant growth period, in both cutting intensities. Chemical contents of cactus forage and sorghum stover were little affected by treatments.