Offered Papers Theme A: Efficient Production from Grassland
Description
Estilosantes Campo Grande (ECG) is a mixture (80/20 by weight) of Stylosanthes capitata and S. macrocephala, derived through genetic combination of selected accessions by open crossing over 6 generations (Grof et al., 2001). The cultivar is the result of >10 years of research on a collection of >1000 ecotypes of Stylosanthes species collected and maintained by Embrapa. The main use of ECG in Brazil is to improve grass-dominant pastures. It has good persistence with Brachiaria spp., Panicum maximum (Tanzania-1 and Mombaça) and Andropogon gayanus. It has excellent adaptation to low fertility sandy soils and is persistent under grazing. In regional trials, ECG was the best performer in S Brazilian Cerrados, where the dry season is less severe. Although it does not retain foliage after the rainy season in areas with long and intense dry season, it still contributes to nitrogen fixation and animal nutrition during the rainy season. It is a prolific seed producer and seedling recruitment is its main mechanism of persistence. More than 500t of ECG seed has been produced since its commercial release and the estimated area planted to this cultivar has increased from <500ha in 2000 to nearly 150Kha by 2004, mainly in the Brazilian Savannas.
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Estilosantes Campo Grande in Brazil: A Tropical Forage Legume Success Story
Estilosantes Campo Grande (ECG) is a mixture (80/20 by weight) of Stylosanthes capitata and S. macrocephala, derived through genetic combination of selected accessions by open crossing over 6 generations (Grof et al., 2001). The cultivar is the result of >10 years of research on a collection of >1000 ecotypes of Stylosanthes species collected and maintained by Embrapa. The main use of ECG in Brazil is to improve grass-dominant pastures. It has good persistence with Brachiaria spp., Panicum maximum (Tanzania-1 and Mombaça) and Andropogon gayanus. It has excellent adaptation to low fertility sandy soils and is persistent under grazing. In regional trials, ECG was the best performer in S Brazilian Cerrados, where the dry season is less severe. Although it does not retain foliage after the rainy season in areas with long and intense dry season, it still contributes to nitrogen fixation and animal nutrition during the rainy season. It is a prolific seed producer and seedling recruitment is its main mechanism of persistence. More than 500t of ECG seed has been produced since its commercial release and the estimated area planted to this cultivar has increased from <500ha in 2000 to nearly 150Kha by>2004, mainly in the Brazilian Savannas.
