Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures

Brachiaria grasses, especially R decumbens cv. Basilisk (signalgrass), are the most widely grown pastures in subhumid and humid tropics. When fertilized with nitrogen and well managed, these pastures have high forage quality (measured as digestibility). Animal production is therefore high and relati...

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Main Authors: Lascano Aguilar, Carlos Eduardo, Euclides, Valéria Pacheco Batista
Format: Book Chapter
Language:Inglés
Published: International Center for Tropical Agriculture 1996
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/54884
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author Lascano Aguilar, Carlos Eduardo
Euclides, Valéria Pacheco Batista
author_browse Euclides, Valéria Pacheco Batista
Lascano Aguilar, Carlos Eduardo
author_facet Lascano Aguilar, Carlos Eduardo
Euclides, Valéria Pacheco Batista
author_sort Lascano Aguilar, Carlos Eduardo
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Brachiaria grasses, especially R decumbens cv. Basilisk (signalgrass), are the most widely grown pastures in subhumid and humid tropics. When fertilized with nitrogen and well managed, these pastures have high forage quality (measured as digestibility). Animal production is therefore high and relatively stable over time. Sometimes, however, animals fed on signalgrass and other Brachiaria species sicken, or show hepatogenous photosensitization, possibly caused by plant metabolites (steroidal saponins). Nitrate toxicity has been reported with R arrecta and may occur with other species. Although digestibility is high, it varies considerably among and within Brachiaria species, but is relatively stable across environments for any given material, The variation is caused mostly by different levels of crude protein (CP), possibly associated with inhibition of nitrification. Animal performance therefore differs from one Brachiaria grass to another. On acid, infertile soils, such as those of the Colombian Llanos, the protein content of Brachiaria grasses tends to decrease, thus reducing animal performance. But if Brachiaria grasses are grown in association with compatible legumes (e.g., Arachis pintoi) the performance of both animals and pasture can significantly improve. Breeders should also take advantage of the variation in Brachiaria to select materials of higher quality than currently used commercial cultivars, and when breeding for spittlebug resistance.
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spelling CGSpace548842024-01-09T09:48:34Z Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures Lascano Aguilar, Carlos Eduardo Euclides, Valéria Pacheco Batista brachiaria panicum maximum arachis pintoi desmodium ovalifolium centrosema stylosanthes guianensis dry matter content nutritive value chemical composition photoperiodicity genetic variation digestibility weight gain fertilizer application protein quality animal production contenido de materia seca valor nutritivo composición quimica fotoperiodismo variación genética digestibilidad ganancia de peso aplicación de abonos calidad proteica producción animal Brachiaria grasses, especially R decumbens cv. Basilisk (signalgrass), are the most widely grown pastures in subhumid and humid tropics. When fertilized with nitrogen and well managed, these pastures have high forage quality (measured as digestibility). Animal production is therefore high and relatively stable over time. Sometimes, however, animals fed on signalgrass and other Brachiaria species sicken, or show hepatogenous photosensitization, possibly caused by plant metabolites (steroidal saponins). Nitrate toxicity has been reported with R arrecta and may occur with other species. Although digestibility is high, it varies considerably among and within Brachiaria species, but is relatively stable across environments for any given material, The variation is caused mostly by different levels of crude protein (CP), possibly associated with inhibition of nitrification. Animal performance therefore differs from one Brachiaria grass to another. On acid, infertile soils, such as those of the Colombian Llanos, the protein content of Brachiaria grasses tends to decrease, thus reducing animal performance. But if Brachiaria grasses are grown in association with compatible legumes (e.g., Arachis pintoi) the performance of both animals and pasture can significantly improve. Breeders should also take advantage of the variation in Brachiaria to select materials of higher quality than currently used commercial cultivars, and when breeding for spittlebug resistance. 1996 2015-01-28T14:17:06Z 2015-01-28T14:17:06Z Book Chapter https://hdl.handle.net/10568/54884 en Open Access International Center for Tropical Agriculture Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária Lascano, Carlos E.; Euclides, Valéria Pacheco Batista. 1996. Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures. In: Miles, John W; Maass, Brigitte L; Valle, Cacilda Borges do; Kumble, Vrinda (eds.). Brachiaria: Biology, agronomy, and improvement. Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT); Campo Grande, BR : Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria (EMBRAPA), Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Gado de Corte (CNPGC), Cali, CO. p. 106-123. (CIAT publication no. 259)
spellingShingle brachiaria
panicum maximum
arachis pintoi
desmodium ovalifolium
centrosema
stylosanthes guianensis
dry matter content
nutritive value
chemical composition
photoperiodicity
genetic variation
digestibility
weight gain
fertilizer application
protein quality
animal production
contenido de materia seca
valor nutritivo
composición quimica
fotoperiodismo
variación genética
digestibilidad
ganancia de peso
aplicación de abonos
calidad proteica
producción animal
Lascano Aguilar, Carlos Eduardo
Euclides, Valéria Pacheco Batista
Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures
title Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures
title_full Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures
title_fullStr Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures
title_full_unstemmed Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures
title_short Nutritional quality and animal production of Brachiaria pastures
title_sort nutritional quality and animal production of brachiaria pastures
topic brachiaria
panicum maximum
arachis pintoi
desmodium ovalifolium
centrosema
stylosanthes guianensis
dry matter content
nutritive value
chemical composition
photoperiodicity
genetic variation
digestibility
weight gain
fertilizer application
protein quality
animal production
contenido de materia seca
valor nutritivo
composición quimica
fotoperiodismo
variación genética
digestibilidad
ganancia de peso
aplicación de abonos
calidad proteica
producción animal
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/54884
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