Disponibilidade de matéria seca em pastagens de capim-elefante irrigadas

Abstract

With the objective of evaluating the effects of the irrigation in the availability of dry matter in elephant-grass pastures, cv. Napier, an experiment was driven for two years in the Section of Agrostologia of UFV. The irrigation was accomplished by a system of conventional aspersion of medium pressure, using turn of watering variable. It was observed that, in the two drought periods embraced by the experiment, the irrigation didn't get to determine significant differences in the availability of dry matter of the elephant-grass. On the other hand, when the accumulated results were evaluated for the winter and summer periods, the forage availability in the treatments under irrigation was always significantly larger, in reason of the irrigation to supply and to maintain the humidity of the soil sufficiently in levels adjusted for the forages, when the minimum temperatures did not limit to the growth, eliminating the effects of the drought stress and allowing maintenance of stability of the production. It was concluded that the irrigation technique conducted in an efficient and discerning way can be more an alternative, seeking to the increase of the animal production at grass, because it allowed significant increases in the forage production, mainly in the summer, where the minimum temperatures did not limit the development of the elephant grass.