Production and chemical composition of hybrid Brachiaria cv. Mulato II under a system of cuts and nitrogen fertilization

Abstract

The production capacity of green and dry mass of the entire plant, efficiency of N conversion, apparent N recovery and the chemical composition of cultivar Mulato II was evaluated under a system of cuts and nitrogen doses. The assay, conducted in the municipality of Goiania, GO, Brazil, had a totally randomized 2 x 4 factorial design (2 height cuts, 0.40 and 0.50 m and 4 nitrogen doses), with three replications and subdivided subplots. Treatments comprised four N doses (0, 50, 100 and 150 kgha(-1) N, with urea as nitrogen source). There was no significant interaction (p>0.05) between N doses and cut heights for the variables productivity of green (PGM) and dry (PDM) mass, nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and apparent N recovery (ANR), which were neither affected (p<0.05) by N doses nor by evaluated cut heights. Average productivity reached 59,450 kgha(-1) (PGV) and 10,367 kgha(-1) (PDM) and it was produced an average of 19.62 kg of DM per kg of N, with a mean 56.00% recovery. N doses and cut heights did not affect (p>0.05) DM rates of the plant, whilst mean dry matter rate was 17.49%. CP rates were affected (p<0.05) by N doses (0, 50, 100 and 150 kgha(-1)) and cut heights (0.40 and 0.50 m) and by the interaction of these factors. CP rates of the entire plant hybrid Brachiaria cv. Mulato II increased (p<0.05) due to N doses through an increasing linear relationship. Since there was a significant effect (p<0.05) with regard to cut height and CP rates decreased with height increase. NDF rates were significantly influenced by N doses (p<0.05) and by cut heights (p<0.05), with significance for the interaction (p<0.05) of over 100 kgha(-1) N doses only. No significant interaction (p>0.05) occurred in ADF rates among the variables analyzed. ADF contents were influenced by N supply (p<0.05) with decreasing quadratic regression as N doses increased.