Marandu grass under deferment in monoculture and silvopastoral system: chemical and mineral composition

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical and mineral characteristics of Marandu grass under stockpiling in monoculture (MC) and a silvopastoral system (SPS) with 12- (SPS12) and 18-m (SPS18) spacing between tree rows. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks, in which each system was allocated individually. Each treatment was formed in the center of each plot in a 3 × 4 factorial arrangement consisting of three systems (MC and SPS12 and SPS18 between the tree rows) and four stockpiling periods (60, 90, 120, and 150 days), totaling 12 treatments with three replications. No interaction effect was observed between the factors (p>0.05) for crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), or magnesium (Mg). The CP content decreased with increasing stockpiling days but met the suggested requirement for ruminants up to 75 days. The NDF and ADF concentrations increased, while P and K contents decreased with increasing stockpiling days. Magnesium and Ca concentrations did not differ with stockpiling days. However, a difference was observed only for Mg relative to the evaluated systems, which was higher in MC and SPS12, differing from SPS18. The spacing adopted in the SPS of 12 and 18 m does not negatively influence the nutritional value of the forage plant. The 75-day stockpiling period from March favored the concentration of macronutrients and CP content in Marandu grass in both MC and SPS.