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Convert HD364 grass implanted under low technological level and managed with different heights cutting: chemical composition in dry-rainy season

Sérgio Antonio Garcia Pereira Junior ; Lilian Chambó Rondena Pesqueira Silva ; Edimar Barbosa de Oliveira ; Silvio Márcio Vieira da Silva ; Edvania da Silva Vasconcelos ; Kênia Larissa Gomes Carvalho Alves ; Maria Fernanda Soares Queiroz ; Rosemary Lais Galati
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Ruminant production occurs mostly in pastures, which makes the Brazilian animal protein competitive because of the low cost. New cultivars or hybrids grasses generate expectations as an opportunity for productive pastures. Convert HD364 grass is a Brachiaria hybrid and was developed by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, gathering the best features of used in its development. Due to little information about Convert HD364, the aim of this work was to evaluate the chemical composition of this grass implanted with low technological level (without any fertilization) and managed with different cutting heights (30, 45, 60 and 75 cm) at the first rainy-dry season. It was carried out at Federal University of Mato Grosso. Experimental design was completely randomized, with four treatments (cutting height) and six repetitions. The implantation was in November 2014 and before assessments, in April 2015, it was made a standardization cutting without any fertilization. After standardization, canopy heights was weekly controlled up to established height and cuts performed using square 0.25 m?, leaving residue of 15 cm. Forage was dried, ground and analyzed for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF). Data were analyzed by ANOVA, and effects were assessed using Tukey test. At 75 cm, DM (94.89%, P < 0.0001) and MO (94.42%, P = 0.0001) contents presented the highest values, while CP was the lowest one (4.16%, P = 0.0000). The NDF content at 60 cm (67.69%) was higher (P = 0.0002) in relation to the others. The ADF (36.92 and 35.41%, P < 0.0001) and iNDF (17.36 and 20.62%, P = 0.0381) at 60 and 75 cm, respectively, showed the highest values, and at 30 and 45 cm, indigestible fiber was the lowest value (14.51 and 15.23%, respectively). Considering the CP, the best management was observed at 30 cm (8.60%, P = 0.0000). It was, concluded that at low technology conditions, at the first year of implantation, for higher crude protein content and lower indigestible fiber, 30 cm is the recommended height for dry-rainy season.