Sward height determines animal performance on limpograss (Hemarthria altissima cv. Flórida) pastures
Laíse da Silveira Pontes
A D , Karina Petkowicz B , Giliardi Stafin A and Taíse Robinson Kunrath C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Rural Development Institute of Paraná – IAPAR-EMATER, Av. Euzébio de Queirós, s/n°, CP 129, CEP 84001-970, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil.
B UEPG, State University of Ponta Grossa, Av. Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, CEP 84030-900, Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil.
C Institute of Animal Science – IZ/APTA SP, R. Heitor Penteado, 56 Centro, CEP 13385-011, Nova Odessa, SP, Brazil and ALIANÇA SIPA, Rua Dolores Durand, 1584/11 CEP 91540-220 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
D Corresponding author. Email: laisepontes@idr.pr.gov.br
Crop and Pasture Science 72(10) 841-849 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP20463
Submitted: 20 November 2020 Accepted: 9 May 2021 Published: 20 August 2021
Abstract
Changes in grazing intensity affect forage production and performance of animal on C4 grass pastures; however, these relationships are not well defined for cattle grazing on limpograss (Hemarthria altissima (Poir) Stapf & C.E. Hubb. cv. Flórida) under continuous stocking. The objective of this study was to quantify plant and animal production from Flórida limpograss pastures, managed at different grazing intensities by beef heifers (i.e. different sward heights) in order to define pasture management outcomes that maximise plant and animal responses. For a 3-year period, the influence exerted by the sward height (10, 20, 30 and 40 cm) was assessed. Greater total herbage accumulation and herbage accumulation rate were observed for the more lenient grazing heights (30 and 40 cm). The 20-, 30- and 40-cm heights revealed similar heifer average daily gain of 0.49 kg liveweight (LW) animal–1 day–1, reducing at the rate of 0.04 kg LW animal–1 day–1, for each cm decrease below 19 cm, according to a segmented equation. LW gain per area showed a quadratic response to the sward height, with optimum values (i.e. 2.1 kg LW ha–1 day–1) achieved at a pasture height of around 21 cm. Therefore, to optimise cattle performance on continuously stocked Flórida limpograss pastures, a sward height of ~20 cm should be maintained.
Keywords: C4 species, continuous stocking, grazing intensity, perennial grass, tropical forages.
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