Intercropped grasses for ruminant feeding

Abstract

An integrative review was conducted to identify which intercrops, composed of grasses from tropical or temperate climates, are most commonly used in ruminant feeding and which result in higher productivity. The review followed a developed and tested protocol according to the PVO strategy to formulate the guiding question. Data were collected from articles published in the electronic databases SCOPUS (Elsevier), Web of Science (Main Collection), and SciELO Citation Index (Web of Science) through a single cross-reference search. It was not carried out temporally, regionally, nor limited to Brazil. Among the selected studies, the genera found were Lolium (26.7%), Avena (26.7%), Brachiaria (20.0%), Cynodon (13.4%), Panicum (6.6%), and Sorghum (6.6%). The technologies adopted in the articles were target height (50.0%), reseeding (33.3%), and defoliation intensity (16.7%). The animal species used were beef cattle, dairy cattle, and goats - 50.0%, 33.3%, and 16.7%, respectively. It was possible to observe that the use of different cultivars yields positive results; this was most evident with the grasses most used in intercropping: ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam) and black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb); which showed higher productivity values compared to monoculture.