This study was developed to examine the effect of combining nitrogen (N) fertilization strategies and pasture management heights on animal and grain production in an Integrated Crop-Livestock System. The experiment was carried out in the municipality of Abelardo Luz - SC, Brazil, between April 2017 and April 2018. A randomized-block design was adopted, with the treatments arranged in a 2×2 factorial arrangement with three replicates. The first factor was the height of the pasture managed under continuous grazing: high (HH, 20 cm) or low (LH, 12 cm). The second factor corresponded to the N application times: in the winter, in the pasture (NP), and in the summer, in the grain crop (NG), in a single N rate of 200 kg ha-1 as topdressing. The forage species used during the pasture phase was black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb), and the pasture was grazed by Nellore × Charolais crossbred steers with an initial body weight of 260 kg. The summer crop was maize (Zea mays). Average daily gain (ADG) and herbage allowance were higher in HH than in LH, whereas animal load was higher in HH. Between the N application times, the animal load was higher in NP. Pasture management height and N fertilization strategy did not affect the variables of number of rows per ear, number of grains per row, thousand-grain weight, or total grain yield, which overall averaged 14,090 kg ha-1. In conclusion, the inversion of nitrogen fertilization between the periods of winter pasture production and grain crop and the management height of the black oat pasture do not compromise the production of maize grains in the summer, or animal production per area. However, steer performance is greater (higher ADG) when the pasture is managed at 20 cm, whereas a high grazing intensity significantly reduces straw on the soil.
Nutrient cycling represents an important nutrient source in the Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems (ICLS). In general, only the crop phase of the ICLS is fertilized, however little is known about this residual effect of nitrogen fertilization from summer crop to succeeding winter pasture. This research aimed to evaluate the forage growth dynamic and botanical composition of a mixed pasture of black oat (Avena strigosa Schreb) and ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) affected by two canopy height managements (high and low) and nitrogen fertilization applied to either the summer crop (corn) or winter pasture phase of an ICLS. The experiment was established in 2012 in southern Brazil. Black oat and ryegrass were growing during winter season and corn (Zea mays L.) during summer season, being this paper related to the 2014 pasture period. Treatments were composed by two canopy heights (25 and 10 cm) and two N-Fertilization Times (N-Pasture or N-Corn) of 200 kg of N ha-1. Canopy height was regulated by beef steers grazing through continuous stocking with a variable stocking rate. Forage mass was lower in the 10 cm canopy height on average, however this forage mass was composed by greater proportion of ryegrass leaves and lower proportion of dead material in relation to the treatment with 25 cm canopy height. The N-fertilization applied directly on pasture phase (N-Pasture) increased forage mass, tiller population density, participation of ryegrass and ryegrass leaf proportion in the forage mass. Furthermore, when pasture was fertilized with N, the forage accumulation rate increased about 69%, highlighting that the corn N-fertilization did not present significant effect on forage productivity. The residual effect of corn N-fertilization was not enough to maintain high forage accumulation. Thus, the pasture N-fertilization is fundamental to keep high-productive crop-livestock system.
This study aimed to evaluates some physical chemical aspects of chilled raw milk that meet Brazilian quality standards in smallholder farms from southern Region of Brazil. The fat content, crude protein (CP), total solids (TS), somatic cell count (SCC), and total plate count (TPC) of the chilled raw milk from 78 smallholder farms was analyzed between Oct 2014 and Feb 2017. It was found that 96% of the samples met the Brazilian regulations for fat content, 87% for CP, and 91% for TS. The mean values of TPC and SCC were higher than the maximum limits established by Brazilian regulations. Smallholder farms from Southern Region of Brazil produce milk with an adequate standard for the main chemical indicators. However, there is an important gap in compliance with hygienic-sanitary practices, leading to high levels of chilled raw milk that does not meet the limits of Brazilian regulations.
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