PRODUCTIVITY OF A SILVOPASTORAL SYSTEM UNDER INTENSIVE MIXED SPECIES GRAZING BY CATTLE AND SHEEP

Abstract

The presence of forage trees in pastures enhances yield and nutritional quality of forage available for animal feeding. We assessed forage yield and nutritional quality, and weight gain of cattle and sheep foraging in a silvopastoral system containing Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. and the grasses Digitaria eriantha Stent (cv. Pangola), Brachiaria brizantha (Hochst. ex A. Rich.) Stapf (cv. Insurgentes) and Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) B.K. Simon & S.W.L. Jacobs (cv. Tanzania), during three seasons (windy, dry and rainy) in two grazing treatments: 1) mixed species grazing by four to five Criollo Lechero Tropical heifers and six female Pelibuey lambs, and 2) simple species grazing by 12 female Pelibuey lambs. Weight gain was greater (P<0.05) in mixed (444.4 kg ha-1 year-1) than in simple grazing (321.7 kg ha-1 year-1). Forage availability was higher in the G. ulmifolia-D. eriantha association (21.6 ton MS ha-1 año-1) than in the other tree-grass associations. G. ulmifolia, D. eriantha and the association between them yielded more crude protein than other species and associations, and the highest crude protein content was observed during the windy season. It was concluded that the G. ulmifolia-D. eriantha association was the best of the evaluated associations and that mixed species grazing produced more meat per unit area per year.