Brazil is a major global producer of animal-derived food, but faces significant challenges due to unsustainable and environmentally damaging practices, such as degraded and unproductive pastures. In this study, we propose the use of silvopastoral systems with Tithonia diversifolia (a shrubby forage from tropical regions) as an alternative to overcome these challenges. Our findings show increased forage production, offering economic and environmental benefits for farmers and providing a sustainable practice for the Brazilian livestock sector.

Increasing pasture biodiversity using forage grass species with complementary traits may be an alternative to traditional monocultures in tropical regions. This study investigated the relationship between pasture characteristics and herbage intake, indicating that combining tropical forage grass species is possible without compromising pasture dynamics and grazing animal responses. By optimizing forage diversity, we highlight the importance of species selection and seasonal complementarity for maintaining pasture structure and providing an optimal grazing environment for animals throughout the year.

There is disagreement among researchers and farmers about the best timing of Italian ryegrass desiccation before corn sowing. The influence of ryegrass desiccation times before sowing on corn grain yield and phytotoxicity bioassays suggest an important allelopathic effect. To avoid loss of grain yield, it is recommended that the planting of corn should take place at least 20 days post-desiccation of the ryegrass straw.