Composição bromatológica de cultivares de capim-elefante em diferentes estádios de corte

Abstract

One of the alternatives recommended to obtain a good balance between the availability and need for forage, during the shortage period, is the use of mowing. In the management of mowing, the frequency of cutting influences the yield and quality of forage harvested. In general, the increase in the cutting interval results in increases in dry matter (DM) production but, at the same time, there is a decline in the nutritional value of the forage produced. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate and compare the bromatological characteristics of cultivars of green elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.), purple elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) cv. Purple and Capiaçu (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.) cv. BRS Capiaçu cut at different stages. The experiment was implemented in August 2021, evaluating the cultivars of Elephant grass between the months of April and June 2022. The experiment was developed in a randomized block design (BCT), in a 3 x 8 factorial scheme, with three grass cultivars and eight cutting periods after regrowth (28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70 and 77 days). The representative samples of the experimental materials were ground in a Wiley type knife mill with a 1 mm sieve, and later, were submitted to chemical and bromatological analysis to determine the contents of dry matter (DM), mineral material (MM) and crude protein (CP); neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), cellulose (CEL), lignin (LIG) and hemicellulose (HEM). The total digestible nutrients (NDT) were calculated according to Paterson (2000). Thus, it can be concluded that Capiaçu and ElefanteRoxo should be cut until 49 days after regrowth, while Elefante Verde can be cut until 63 days after regrowth. Capiaçu and ElefanteRoxo showed higher bromatological composition than Elefante Verde, for the conditions of cultivation in recôncavo da Bahia.