Offered Papers Theme A: Efficient Production from Grassland
Description
The State of Acre had 1.45 million ha of pastures and a cattle herd of 1.95 million heads in 2003. Since 1998, the increasing area affected by the death of Marandu grass (Brachiaria brizantha) led farmers in Acre to search for alternatives to maintain productivity and profitability of their production systems. However, the traditional strategy of converting primary forest areas into pastures has been severely restricted by strong enforcement of environmental legislation by state and federal agencies. This forced farmers to search for alternative technologies to reclaim degraded pastures and to intensify their production systems. Tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides), the major forage legume used in mixed pastures in Acre (480,000 ha), did not show good compatibility with some of the new grass species being established by farmers, such as African stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis), and also failed to persist when managed under rotational stocking with stocking rates above 1.5 animal units per hectare.
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Forage Peanut (Arachis pintoi): A High Yielding and High Quality Tropical Legume for Sustainable Cattle Production Systems in the Western Brazilian Amazon
The State of Acre had 1.45 million ha of pastures and a cattle herd of 1.95 million heads in 2003. Since 1998, the increasing area affected by the death of Marandu grass (Brachiaria brizantha) led farmers in Acre to search for alternatives to maintain productivity and profitability of their production systems. However, the traditional strategy of converting primary forest areas into pastures has been severely restricted by strong enforcement of environmental legislation by state and federal agencies. This forced farmers to search for alternative technologies to reclaim degraded pastures and to intensify their production systems. Tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides), the major forage legume used in mixed pastures in Acre (480,000 ha), did not show good compatibility with some of the new grass species being established by farmers, such as African stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis), and also failed to persist when managed under rotational stocking with stocking rates above 1.5 animal units per hectare.
