Nutritive value of brachiaria forage intercropping with eucalyptus in a silvopastoral system in the Brazilian cerrado biome

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate a SPS located in the Cerrado, in relation to forage production characteristics and forage nutritive value during the drought summer period and beginning of the rainy season. An experiment was conducted in Confins, Minas Gerais, Brazil in order to evaluate the forage produced by a silvopastoral system. The system was composed of Eucalyptus tree species (150 trees/ha) and Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu forage. The pasture was sampled during the months of May, July and November of 2009, and production (quantitative and qualitative) and bromatological composition were determined. This silvopastoral system appeared to be a sustainable option for animal production in areas with little rainfall. This study suggests that it is possible to observe a considerable increase in nutrient concentrations in shaded forage using silvopastoral systems. This increase was witnessed even in drought conditions, where forage protein values were high, which is important in meeting the maintenance requirements of ruminants. This is especially important in the Cerrado biome, which frequently experiences droughts. The presence of the tree species Eucalyptus did not interfere in forage dry matter production Trees appeared to reduce forage water stress while simultaneously increasing mineral concentrations. This silvopastoral system appeared to be a sustainable option for animal production in areas with little rainfall.