Pasture structure and sheep performance supplemented on different tropical grasses in the dry season

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the productive and structural characteristics of tropical grasses and the performance of sheep supplemented during the dry season. The treatments consisted of Marandu, Piatã, Massai and Aruana cultivars managed under intermittent stocking with seven occupation days and 35 d of rest, with a variable stocking rate. The evaluated variables were the forage masses, the morphological components, the chemical composition of the pasture and sheep performance. The forage mass was similar among the cultivars, while the leaf blade mass and percentage were higher in the Massai cultivar. There were differences between the cultivars for the NDF, ADF, ADL and ash contents in the two grazing cycles. The lowest gains per animal and gain per area were observed in the Aruana grass pastures, while there were no differences for these variables among the other cultivars. Massai, Marandu and Piatã cultivars can be used as a forage option for the dry period when associated with protein supplementation for sheep being raised for meat.