Caracterização morfogênica de gramíneas forrageiras tropicais sob crescimento livre / Morphogenetic charaterization of tropical forage grasses under free growth

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

In this work, the morphogenetic and structural characteristics of tropical grasses were evaluated in a comparative way, aiming their insertion in the respective functional groups, supplying subsidies to researchers in the implementation of grazing experiments suitable with their growth pattern and development. The experiment was conducted in the Forage Culture Section of Zootecnia Department, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa, MG. The treatments corresponded to seven grasses, two varieties of Panicum maximum (Mombaça and Aruana), one hybrid of Panicum maximum with Panicum infestum BRA-7102 (Massai), two of Brachiaria brizantha (Marandu and Xaraés) and of the fat (Melinis minutiflora) and jaraguá (Hyparrhenia rolls) grasses, all evaluated under free growth. The experimental design was the randomized complete block design with three replications. The following characteristics were evaluated: height, morphogenetic and structural characteristics of tillers, variation in the number of leaves in the tillers (number of appeared leaves, alive and died), appearance rates, death and tillers survival and demographic tillering pattern. The variation in the number of leaves demonstrated similar behavior among mombaça, massai and xaraés grasses, for the number of live leaves (NLL), number of appeared leaves (NAL) and number of died leaves (NDL). In general, all the grasses presented fall in NLL with increasing NDL and NAL establishment; this process was more evident in the autumn. Regarding the tillers demography, it was observed that only the fat, aruana and marandu grasses presented aerial tillers, however, the last one presented this tillers category only in the autumn, while in other grasses the tillers population was formed of basal tillers. The morphogenetic and structural characteristics of basal tillers were appraised through factor analysis, during summer and autumn periods separately and together, allowing the reduction of 13 variables analyzed in four factors (factor mass development, factor death tillers, factor stadium of development" and the factor "foliar longevity"), which explained about 80% of the total variation. The formation of the functional groups was realized after obtaining the factorial scores for each grass, using Tocher optimization method. Only three groups were separated in the summer period: group I, comprised of xaraés, massai, mombaça and marandu grasses, group II, formed by the fat and aruana grasses, and group III, composed of jaraguá grass. Concerning the autumn grouping, group I included mombaça, massai, xaraés, marandu and fat grasses; group II composed of jaraguá grass and group III formed by aruana grass. Considering these periods in a unique group, three groups were identified: group I, formed by mombaça, xaraés, marandu and massai grasses; group II, comprised of fat and aruana grasses, and group III, formed by jaraguá grass. The result of this analysis type permits the identification and formation of functional groups of forage plants that include those that "operate" in a similar way and, needing similar handling cares, independently of the gender, species and/or cultivate they belong. The results found for the evaluated forage grasses, through the morphogenetic variables measured, permitted the formation of suitable functional groups with the plants behavior. Therefore, the study of the morphogenetic characteristics in forage plants has potential of subsidizing concise information for the planning of pasture experiments, and to determine pasture management strategies of forage materials that will be launch and those already used in the productive system.

ASSUNTO(S)

pastures forragicultura características estruturais forrage pastagem e forragicultura structural characteristics pastagens

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