ALTERNATIVES FOR SPRING FORAGE EMPTINESS IN PAMPA, BRAZIL

Abstract

The spring forage emptiness is an obstacle to the development of Brazilian livestock, including in the Bioma Pampa region. Feed strategies for this period contributed to the development of livestock and to the conservation of the biome. The objective of this work was to know the nutritional potential of forages during spring forage for use as strategies in the forage planning. The experiment had a completely randomized design, with ten forages and four replicates. The chemical composition, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and the total digestible nutrient content (NTD) of elephant grass, brachiaria cultivars Convert and Marandu, Tifton 68; diploid and tetraploid ryegrass; red, white and arrowleaf clover; and bird’s-foot trefoil. The grasses had a higher proportion of fibrous constituents, and lower levels of NDT and DMD, thus, lower nutritional value. Negative correlation between mineral matter and fibrous constituents with CP, TDN and IVDMD, was observed. Forages studied can be used as pasture alternatives for ruminants in the spring forage emptiness of the Pampa, Brazil, however, the strategy of using them should be a pasture planning.