Mixtures of forage grasses and legumes were established on 9.7 ha, using the following treatments: Brachiaria hybrida cv. Cayman,Brachiaria hybrida cv. Toledo, Panicum maximum cv. Mombaza, Brachiaria hybrida cv. Cayman + C. brasiliensis, Brachiaria hybridacv. Toledo + C. brasiliensis, Panicum maximum cv. Mombaza + C. brasiliensis. The following variables were evaluated: vigor, height ofthe plant, coverage, incidence of pests and diseases at the four-week mark and production of forage and dry matter were recorded at the six-week mark. Statistical differences were found for plant height, which evidenced which of the treatments behaved best in terms of growth. Non-combined treatments were found to perform best for the production of dry matter variable. C. brasiliensis contributes to the growth of the combined grasses during the first four weeks of establishment, but after this time the legume begins to compete for space and light, affecting the development of the other forage species.
Agronomic, nutritional, and environmental aspects are integrated to promote sustainable tropical grassland production. Biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) is a plant-based strategy to improve nitrogen use efficiency by grasses in which they suppress the pace of soil nitrification via exudation of inhibitory compounds. To evaluate the effect of BNI on the productive performance of Megathyrsus maximus under field conditions, we evaluated a collection of 27 germplasm accessions and commercial cultivars of the forage grass in the dry tropics of Colombia. We measured plant yield dry matter, nutrition quality parameters, and nitrification rates of soil at 22 months after pasture establishment. Our results highlighted germplasm accessions of superior agronomic performance (for dry matter production and nutrition quality) and high capacity to decrease nitrification. Although no relation was observed between agronomic aspects, nutritional aspects, and nitrification rates, we conclude that there is no agronomic or nutritional penalty on environmentally friendly grasses, and BNI could be adopted as a target trait in plant breeding programs toward the development of eco-efficient forages and contribute to the sustainable intensification of livestock systems.
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