The Tissue Flow in Brachiaria brizantha Pasture Under Intermittent Stocking

Abstract

The present work aims to evaluate the morphological and structural characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cultivars in the system of grazing in the intermittent stocking. The experiment was conducted at EMBRAPA - Beef Cattle. The experimental delineation used was a randomized block with three treatments and three repetitions. The treatments were constituted by grasses of the same species (Brachiaria brizantha) composed by cv. Xaraés, BRS Paiaguás, and the ecotype B4. On the heights of post-grazing, it was observed an interaction between seasons of the year and cultivars. It was observed that the leaf appearance rate (LAR) was higher in the cv. BRS Paiaguás, in relation to the other pastures. The leaf elongation rate (LER) was higher in perforations of the ecotype B4. In the winter, it was registered the lowest values of leaf area index (LAI), LAR, and LER, and, as a consequence, impact in a higher leaf life duration. Although there were some structural variations between tropical climate pastures, it was possible to verify that the phenotypic plasticity of these pastures presented the same behavior, once it suffered a higher influence of abiotic factors. Therefore, all the pastures of B. brizantha converged to the same LAI indicating high phenotypic plasticity.