Description
Forage cactus is a Cactaceae grown in the Semiarid region of Brazil and other regions of the world, representing vital forage support. Using legumes in consortium with forage cactus can be an alternative in the region to increase the supply of nitrogen (N) in the soil and improve the quality of the animal diet. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the yield of the different production systems with ‘Míuda’ Cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm Dyck) and Mexican Elephant Ear [Opuntia Sricta (Haw.) Haw] in consortium with the ‘Cunhã’ legumes [Clitoria ternatea (L.)] and ‘Jureminha’ [Demanthus pernambucanus (L.) Thellung]. The experiment was carried out at the experimental farm of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), located in the municipality of Garanhuns-PE. A randomized block design with four replications was used. The experimental treatments were: T1 - Forage Cactus – Miúda + D. pernambucanus; T2 - Forage Cactus Miúda + C. ternatea; T3 - Forage cactus – Mexican Elephant Ear + D. pernambucanus; T4 - Forage cactus – Mexican Elephant Ear + C. ternatea; T5 - Forage Cactus – Miúda; T6 - Forage cactus – Mexican Elephant Ear; T7 - C. ternatea; and T8 - D. pernambucanus. The forage cactus was harvested after one year of cultivation, keeping the mother cladode, while the legumes were harvested every three months with a cutting height of 20 cm. Means were compared by Tukey's test at the 5% probability level. The width of the forage cactus showed different behavior in the arrangements, with the smallest width in the monoculture of forage cactus – Mexican Elephant Ear, which differed from the intercropping with D. pernambucanus. However, there were no differences in the monoculture and intercropping systems of Forage Cactus – Miúda. The Forage Cactus – Miúda showed the highest number of cladodes in all orders and greater thickness of the mother cladode in monoculture and in the intercropping with D. pernambucanus. Furthermore, the adoption of the system intercropped with legumes significantly affected the dry matter production of Forage Cactus and legume (P < 0.05), with lower yields for the Forage Cactus – Miúda system in intercropping with C.ternatea. Altogether, it is concluded that the adoption of the intercropped system of cactus and legumes decreased the width of the Opuntia stricta when in consortium with D. pernambucanus. Likewise, it reduced the production of cactus and legume dry matter in the Forage Cactus – Miúda system, in consortium with C. ternatea.
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Forage Cactus in Different Cropping Systems in the Semi-Arid Region of Brazil
Forage cactus is a Cactaceae grown in the Semiarid region of Brazil and other regions of the world, representing vital forage support. Using legumes in consortium with forage cactus can be an alternative in the region to increase the supply of nitrogen (N) in the soil and improve the quality of the animal diet. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the yield of the different production systems with ‘Míuda’ Cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera Salm Dyck) and Mexican Elephant Ear [Opuntia Sricta (Haw.) Haw] in consortium with the ‘Cunhã’ legumes [Clitoria ternatea (L.)] and ‘Jureminha’ [Demanthus pernambucanus (L.) Thellung]. The experiment was carried out at the experimental farm of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), located in the municipality of Garanhuns-PE. A randomized block design with four replications was used. The experimental treatments were: T1 - Forage Cactus – Miúda + D. pernambucanus; T2 - Forage Cactus Miúda + C. ternatea; T3 - Forage cactus – Mexican Elephant Ear + D. pernambucanus; T4 - Forage cactus – Mexican Elephant Ear + C. ternatea; T5 - Forage Cactus – Miúda; T6 - Forage cactus – Mexican Elephant Ear; T7 - C. ternatea; and T8 - D. pernambucanus. The forage cactus was harvested after one year of cultivation, keeping the mother cladode, while the legumes were harvested every three months with a cutting height of 20 cm. Means were compared by Tukey's test at the 5% probability level. The width of the forage cactus showed different behavior in the arrangements, with the smallest width in the monoculture of forage cactus – Mexican Elephant Ear, which differed from the intercropping with D. pernambucanus. However, there were no differences in the monoculture and intercropping systems of Forage Cactus – Miúda. The Forage Cactus – Miúda showed the highest number of cladodes in all orders and greater thickness of the mother cladode in monoculture and in the intercropping with D. pernambucanus. Furthermore, the adoption of the system intercropped with legumes significantly affected the dry matter production of Forage Cactus and legume (P < 0.05), with lower yields for the Forage Cactus – Miúda system in intercropping with C.ternatea. Altogether, it is concluded that the adoption of the intercropped system of cactus and legumes decreased the width of the Opuntia stricta when in consortium with D. pernambucanus. Likewise, it reduced the production of cactus and legume dry matter in the Forage Cactus – Miúda system, in consortium with C. ternatea.
