Defoliation patterns in signal grass tillers with varying heights in
the same pasture

Manoel Eduardo   Rozalino Santos; Dilermando   Miranda da Fonseca; Guilherme   Porte Silva; Thiago   Gomes dos Santos Braz; Virgilio   Mesquita Gomes; Simone Pedro   da Silva

Defoliation patterns in signal grass tillers with varying heights in the same pasture

Autores

Manoel Eduardo Rozalino Santos

Dilermando Miranda da Fonseca

Guilherme Porte Silva

Thiago Gomes dos Santos Braz

Virgilio Mesquita Gomes

Simone Pedro da Silva

Editor

Universidade Estadual de Maringá

Descripción

The experiment was carried out to evaluate the patterns of defoliation in plants of various heights in the same pasture of Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk under continuous stocking with cattle. Four plant heights were evaluated (10, 20, 30 and 40 cm) in the same managed sward, with mean height equal to 25 cm. A randomized blocks design was used, with two replications. Defoliation frequency increased linearly along with plant height in the same pasture. Defoliation intensity, number of defoliations in leaf blade and percentage of leaf blade grazed per tiller also increased linearly along with plant height. The defoliation interval decreased linearly according to plant height. The quadratic model was adequately fitted into grazing efficiency data, reaching the highest value (98%) at the sward site with 35 cm plants. The percentage variation in signal grass height showed a negative linear response with initial plant height. The structure of the pasture, characterized by the diversity in plant heights, is simultaneously the cause and consequence of the variability in defoliation patterns in individual tillers, which occur on the horizontal plane of the pasture.