CSIRO PUBLISHING

Animal Production Science

http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/AN14721

Steer performance on Panicum maximum (cv. Mombaca)

pastures under two grazing intensities

Valria Pacheco Batista Euclides A,F, Flvia da Conceico Lopes B,

Domicio do Nascimento Junior C, Sila Carneiro da Silva D,
Gelson dos Santos Difante E and Rodrigo Amorim Barbosa B
A
Embrapa Gado de Corte, Avenida Radio Maia, 830, Zona Rural 79106550, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil.
B
Departamento de Zootecnia, UFMS, Avenida Sem. Filinto Mller, 79080190, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil.
C
Departamento de Zootecnia, UFV, Avenida Peter Henry Rolfs, 36570000, Vicosa, MG, Brazil.
D
Departamento de Zootecnia, USP/ESALQ, C. P. 09, 13418900, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
E
Departamento de Zootecnia, UFRN, C. P. 1524, 59078900, Natal, RN, Brazil.
F
Corresponding author. Email: valeria.pacheco@embrapa.br

Abstract. The objective of this study was to evaluate animal performance in Mombaca guineagrass (Panicum maximum
Jacq.) pastures under intermittent grazing associated with two post-grazing heights (30 and 50 cm) and a pre-grazing height
of 90 cm. A completely randomised block experimental design was employed, with two treatments and three replicates. The
pastures were evaluated pre- and post-grazing grazing, to determine the herbage mass, percentage of leaf, stem and dead
material and nutritive value. The stocking rate (expressed in animal unit, AU = 450 kg liveweight) was adjusted twice
a week, and the animals were weighed every 28 days. The average grazing frequencies were 33 and 40 days, respectively,
for 50 cm and 30 cm of residue pastures to reach the pre-grazing target (90 cm). The forage accumulation rate and pre-
grazing herbage mass were similar for pastures with post-grazing heights of 30 and 50 cm. However, 50 cm of residue in
the pasture resulted in greater pre-grazing leaf percentage and nutritive value and a lower percentage of dead material than
did 30 cm of residue, and, consequently, a greater herbage intake (2.6 and 2.0 kg of dry matter/100 kg liveweight,
respectively). The stocking rate was greater in the pastures with 30 cm of residue (6.7 AU/ ha) than in those with 50 cm
(5.1 AU/ha). However, the average daily gain was greater for the 50-cm (655 g/steer.day) than for the 30-cm (390 g/steer.day)
post-grazing height, resulting in a greater animal production of 1070 versus 635 kg/ha, respectively. Thus, under
intermittent grazing, Mombaca guineagrass should be managed using a 50-cm post-grazing height.

Additional keywords: bos indicus, intermittent grazing, savanna, stocking rate.

Received 29 July 2014, accepted 29 April 2015, published online 10 July 2015

Introduction (2007) evaluated P. maximum cv. Tanznia pastures under

Panicum maximum cultivars are generally managed under
rotational stocking, with xed and pre-dened grazing and rest
periods, regardless of the fertilisation regime and the season
(Lima et al. 2001). However, assigning a rest period a priori
and without regard to seasonal patterns of growth can result in
low herbage accumulation, or, alternatively, excess herbage
accumulation, and associated low nutritive value and increased
stem proportion.
For this reason, it is necessary to develop a strategy that
incorporates the dynamics of plant growth to dene
management recommendations. In this context, Carnevalli
et al. (2006) and Da Silva et al. (2009) studied P. maximum
cv. Mombaca pastures under rotational stocking subjected to
combinations of two rest periods, grazing at either 95% or
100% canopy light interception (LI) and two grazing
intensities (30- and 50-cm residue heights), and Barbosa et al.
combinations of three grazing frequencies (90%, 95% and
100% LI) and two grazing intensities (25- and 50-cm residues
height). These authors found that the processes of stem elongation
and leaf senescence occurred in both guineagrass cvv. Mombaca
and Tanznia if greater than 95% of incident light was being
intercepted, indicating that the ideal time to stop the process of
regrowth would be when this LI level is reached. Greater herbage
accumulation and efciency of grazing were associated with
initiation at 95% light interception and a post-grazing stubble
height of 30 and 25 cm for Mombaca and Tanznia, respectively.
In recent studies of tropical grasses, a strong relationship has
been found between canopy height and light interception by the
pasture and, hence, the dynamics of accumulation of dry matter
(Carnevalli et al. 2006; Barbosa et al. 2007; Pedreira et al. 2009;
Montagner et al. (2012)), suggesting that, for some species, sward
height can be a reliable criterion for determining when to

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B Animal Production Science
reintroduce animals in a rotational stocking system. Carnevalli
et al. (2006), Cunha et al. (2010) and Montagner et al. (2012)
reported that Mombaca guinea grass reached 95% of incident light
at a sward height of ~90 cm.
Considering the same premise, Difante et al. (2010) evaluated
cv. Tanznia subjected to rotational stocking strategies dened
by a combination of pre- and post-grazing conditions at 95%
LI and with residual sward heights of 25 and 50 cm. These
authors observed a greater liveweight gain (800 vs 660 g/animal.
day), lower stocking rate (3.3 vs 4.1 AU/ha) and lower grazing
efciency (50% vs 90%, respectively) for pastures managed at
a 50-cm than for those managed at a 25-cm residue height.
Analogous animal performance data for cv. Mombaca do not
exist, as the experiments conducted by Carnevalli et al. (2006)
and Da Silva et al. (2009) involved only an evaluation of plant
responses. To allow these management strategies to be adopted
by producers, animal responses must be determined. Thus, the
objective of the present study was to examine the liveweight
gain per animal and per area in P. maximum cv. Mombaca pastures
managed at two grazing intensities (30 and 50 cm of residue) and
associated with common pre-grazing conditions involving a 90-
cm sward height.
Materials and methods
Experimental site, treatments and design
The experiment was conducted during one growing season
from September 2009 to May 2010 at the National Beef
Cattle Research Centre in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
(20
250 S, 54
510 W, altitude 530 m). According to the Kppen
classication, the climate is rainy tropical savanna, corresponding
to the Aw subtype, characterised by a seasonal distribution of
rainfall, with a well dened occurrence of the dry period during
the colder months. Average annual rainfall is ~1500 mm, of
which 80% falls during the 7-month wet period (OctoberApril).
The historical average temperatures (19932013) in the
coldest month were 15.327.3
C, and during the summer from
18.2
C to 31.2
C. Weather data during the experimental period
were collected from a meteorological station located 2 km from
the research site (Fig. 1). The average temperature and monthly
Rainfall (mm/month)
300
250
200
Rainfall (mm)
150
100
50
0 0
Sep Oct
Fig. 1. Rainfall and maximum, average and minimum temperatures during the experimental period.
V. P. B. Euclides et al.
precipitation were used to calculate the water balance (Fig. 2).
The soil water-storage capacity was determined to be 75 mm.
The pastures were established in 2005 and previously had
been grazed by steers. The soil of the experimental area
is classied as red dystrophic latosoil (Oxisol; Embrapa
2006) and is a clay soil, with acidic pH, low base saturation
and high aluminium concentration. Average soil chemical
characteristics for the 020-cm layer were as follows: pH
CaCl2 = 5.4; OM = 43.4 g/dm3; P (Mehlich 1) = 6.1 mg dm3;
Ca = 3.2 cmol/dm3; K = 0.4 cmol/dm3; Mg = 1.3 cmol/dm3; Al =
0.03 cmol/dm3; Al + H = 3.5 cmol/dm3; sum of bases = 3.6 cmol/
dm3; cation exchange capacity = 6.5 cmol/dm3; and base
saturation = 57%. On the basis of these analysis, in October
2009, pastures were fertilised with 80 kg/ha of P2O5, 80 kg/ha
of K2O and 200 kg/ha of N, divided among three application
times, namely, September, December and February. Six pastures
measuring 1.5 ha were divided into six paddocks of 0.25 ha
each. A 6.0-ha reserve pasture was also used for holding extra
animals when they were not grazing experimental pastures.
During the dry period preceding the beginning of the
experiment, the pastures were grazed to maintain post-grazing
heights of 30 or 50 cm. As soon as the rains resumed (Fig. 1) and
the plants began to recover, grazing was initiated on the rst
paddock in each experimental unit. Average canopy height of
the rst paddock was 65 cm when cattle entered. Grazing was
initiated at this height so that the last paddock of the rotation
would be ~90 cm tall when animals entered.
A randomised complete block experimental design was
employed, with two treatments and three replicates. The
treatments consisted of two grazing intensities characterised by
post-grazing heights of 30 and 50 cm, both of which were
associated with a common pre-grazing height of 90 cm. This
height was chosen because in previous studies (Carnevalli et al.
2006; Montagner et al. 2012) it corresponded to a canopy LI of
95%.
Each pasture was grazed by six Nellore (Bos indicus L.)
tester steers of ~12 months of age with an average initial
weight of 220 kg. The testers were assigned randomly to
experimental units; the differences in allocation weight across
treatments were not signicant at the beginning of the growth
Minimum temperature (C) Average temperature (C)
40
35
30
Temperature (C)
25
20
15
10
5
Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May
Steer performance on Panicum maximum pasture
160
Deficit Surplus
140
120
Water level (mm)
100
80
60
40
20
0 The post-grazing mass of the herbage and its morphological
20
40
60
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
Fig. 2. Water decit and surplus in the soil during the experimental period.
season, and the animals remained in the same pasture for the
entire experimental period. Sixty-four grazer steers similar to
the tester steers in weight, age, background and breeding were
kept in reserve pastures and used where needed to adjust the
stocking rate. The grazers were added or removed as determined
by the post-grazing height imposed in each treatment and by the
height (pre-grazing target of 90 cm) of the subsequent paddock
to be grazed. A mineral mixture (sodium chloride 48.75%;
sulphur 7.36%; dicalcium phosphate 39.26%; potassium
iodide 0.015%; sodium selenite 0.008%; cobalt sulfate
0.014%; copper sulfate 0.69%; zinc sulfate 3.89%) and water
were offered ad libitum throughout the trial.
Measurements
Leaf canopy height
Throughout the regrowth period, the leaf canopy height
was monitored twice per week with a 1-m ruler graduated in
centimetres, through systematic readings performed along ve
transect lines (eight measurement points per transect) in all
paddocks. The readings of sward non-extended leaf height
were taken from ground level to the leaf horizon on the top
of the sward as a reference. This procedure was followed
throughout the experimental period, including the periods
when the plants were reproductive and produced taller
owering stems. The post-grazing heights were measured as
soon as the animal left each paddocks, as described above.
Herbage mass, morphological composition, nutritive
value and herbage accumulation
All plant measurements were conducted in two paddocks per
pasture. The pre-grazing herbage mass was determined from six
1-m2 quadrats per paddock. The frame was allocated in areas
that were representative of the average sward condition (based
on visual assessment of height and herbage mass). The herbage
was cut into vertical strata that were 20 cm deep with the
exception of the last layer, which was 30 cm deep. This
procedure generated the following strata: 030 cm, 3050 cm,
5070 cm and 7090 cm. An adjustable frame was used to cut
the herbage at the required height. Samples from each stratum
were weighed and divided in two. One of the subsamples was
oven-dried at 65
C and weighed, and the other was separated
into leaf (blade), stem (stem and sheath) and dead material and
then dried and processed as described above. The total herbage
mass was estimated by summing the layers from the same
sampling point. A grazing simulation method was used to
Animal Production Science C
collect herbage samples for chemical analysis and digestibility
determination (Sollenberger and Cherney 1995). Two random
samples were harvested by hand per paddock. They were oven-
dried, ground to pass through a 1-mm screen, and analysed for
crude protein, neutral detergent bre, acid detergent lignin and
in vitro organic matter digestibility via near-infrared reectance
spectroscopy according to Marten et al. (1985).
composition were determined using a procedure similar to that
described for the pre-grazing mass. All cuts were made at a
Mar Apr May ground level. The herbage accumulation rate was calculated as
the difference between the current pre-grazing and preceding
post-grazing mass, considering only the green portion (leaves
and stems), divided by the number of days between samples.
Liveweight gain and stocking rate
All steers were weighed shrunk at 28-day intervals. A 16-h
pre-weighing fasting period was imposed to minimise gut-ll
effects on liveweight measurements (i.e. fasted from both water
and feed). The average daily gain (ADG) was calculated as the
increase in liveweight of the testers, divided by the number
of days between weighings.
The stocking rate per cycle was calculated as the sum of
the days (tester and grazer steers) that the animals remained in
each of six paddocks (0.25 ha), divided by the total number of
grazing days of a complete cycle, and divided by the pasture
area (1.5 ha). It was expressed in animal units (450 kg liveweight)
per hectare. The liveweight gain per area (ha) was calculated as
the product of ADG and the number of steers per hectare.
Herbage intake and harvest efciency
The dry matter intake was estimated in February (summer) and
April (autumn). The chromium sesquioxide was used as a marker
for determination of faecal output. All tester steers received 10 g
of Cr2O3 per day. The marker supply, the adaptation period
and faeces collection followed the methodology described by
Valadares Filho et al. (2005). Faeces were dried and analysed to
estimate the concentration of chromium as per Williams et al.
(1962). The faeces output and in vitro dry matter digestibility
(IVDMD) of hand-plucked samples were used to estimate
intake, using the following formulae HI = F/(1- IVDMD), and
F = g Cr supplied per animal per day/g Cr per g faecal dry matter;
were HI is daily herbage dry matter intake and F is daily faecal
dry matter output.
The harvest efciency (Allen et al. 2011) was calculated as
the relative amount of forage accumulation that was actually
consumed by the animals (the daily dry matter intake by the
number of animals by the number of days they stayed in that
paddock).
Statistical analyses
The data were grouped according to seasons of the year as
follows: spring, 17 September to 20 December 2009; summer,
21 December 2009 to 20 March 2010; and autumn, 21 March to
12 May 2010. The experimental unit for both vegetation and
animal data was the pasture. The data were subjected to an
ANOVA using the mixed procedure in SAS (version 6.11,
SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA). The choice of the covariance
matrix was made using the Akaike information criterion (AIC)
D Animal Production Science
(Wolnger 1993), and analysis was performed considering post-
grazing height and season of the year and their interactions as
xed effects and blocks as a random effect (Littell et al. 2000). If
appropriate, the means were compared with a Tukey test at a 5%
signicance level. For the stratied herbage samples, the same
model was applied, but the effect of the strata was added and
considered xed. The general linear model procedure of SAS
was used to analyse the total liveweight gain per area.
Results
As the pre- and post-grazing sward heights were controlled
variables, the sward-height data are presented using only
descriptive statistics (Table 1). The post-grazing residue was
maintained close to the target heights of 30 and 50 cm. The
pre-grazing sward heights remained within the planned range
throughout the experiment, except for the rst grazing cycle
(Table 1).
Rest and grazing periods
There was a residual canopy height by season of the year
interaction for the lengths of the rest (P = 0.0449) and grazing
(P = 0.0112) periods (Table 2). Regardless of the season, less
time was necessary to reach the pre-grazing target for the swards
grazed to 50 cm of residue than for those grazed to 30 cm of
residue. In the summer, length of the rest period (RP) was less
than in other seasons for both residue heights. For swards grazed
to 50 cm of residue, the RP was similar during autumn and
spring. In contrast, the RP during autumn was greater than
during spring for the swards grazed to 30 cm of residue (Table 2).
Independent of the target residue height, the length of grazing
period (GP) was shorter in the summer than in the other seasons.
During the spring, the GP was greater for the pastures grazed to
30 cm than for those with 50 cm of residue; however, in the
other seasons, there was no difference in the GP between the
pastures grazed to 30 and those grazed to 50 cm (Table 2).
Herbage mass and morphological components
Pre-grazing herbage mass (HM) averaged 6430  480 kg/ha of
dry matter and was not affected by post-grazing residue height
(P = 0.1116) or seasons (P = 0.2010). Also, no effect of the
residual height was found for pre-grazing leaf (LP; P = 0.3451),
stem (SP; P = 0.2554) and dead material (DP; P = 0.3365)
Table 1. Average and standard deviation for the pre- and post-grazing sward heights of Panicum maximum cv.
Mombaca pastures subjected to rotational stocking targeting either a 30- or 50-cm post-grazing height, with the dates
on which each grazing cycle was initiated, throughout the experiment
30 cm of residue
Date Pre-grazing (cm) Post-grazing (cm)
15 Sep. 2009 76 7 30 2
2 Nov. 2009 89 1 33 1
14 Dec. 2009 91 2 32 1
19 Jan. 2010 90 2 31 1
23 Feb. 2010 89 2 31 1
5 Apr. 2010 87 4 31 1
A
Only two paddocks of each module were grazed.
V. P. B. Euclides et al.
percentages or leaf : stem ratio (LSR; P = 0.9885). Additionally,
no residual height by season interaction was detected for HM
(P = 0.9870), LP (P = 0.8242), SP (P = 0.7945), DP (P = 0.6886)
and LSR (P = 0.9981).
There was no residual sward height by stratum interaction
for HM (P = 0.3186), LP (P = 0.5268), SP (P = 0.2005), DP
(P = 0.6889) and LSR (P = 8743). However, a stratum effect was
observed for all of the variables studied (Table 3). Herbage
mass and percentages of stem and dead material decreased, but
leaf percentage and leaf : stem ratio increased, moving from
the basal to the upper stratum of the canopy.
No seasonal effect was found for herbage mass (P = 0.1116),
dead material percentage (P = 0.1143) or ADL (P = 0.5004).
However, the highest stem percentage and lowest leaf percentage
and leaf : stem ratio were observed in autumn (Table 4).
Furthermore, no residual height by season interaction
(P = 0.6449) or residual height effect (P = 0.9008) was
detected for the herbage accumulation rate (HAR). However,
the highest value was recorded during summer and the lowest
during autumn (Table 4).
No stratum by season (P > 0.05) or residual height by season
(P > 0.05) interaction was detected for any of the variables
associated with sward structure.
Nutritive value
Pre-grazing herbage of swards grazed to 50 cm of residue had
greater values of crude protein (CP) and in vitro organic matter
digestibility (IVOMD) and a lower neutral detergent bre (NDF)
concentration than did those grazed to 30 cm (Table 5). However,
no effect of the residue height (P = 0.6402) was observed for
acid detergent lignin (ADL). There were no residual height
by stratum, stratum by season, or residual height by stratum
by season interactions detected for CP (P = 0.3836, P = 0.6886,
P = 0.8131), NDF (P = 0.2819, P = 0.2605, P = 0.7146) or ADL
(P = 0.8228, P = 0.4179, P = 0.7739) concentrations or the
IVOMD (P = 0.0653, P = 0.3871, P = 0.3420) percentage.
A stratum effect was observed for all of the variables
associated with nutritive value (Table 5). In general, NDF and
ADL decreased, while CP and IVOMD increased from the basal
to the top stratum (Table 6).
Seasonal effect was found for nutritive value, the lowest CP
and IVOMD and highest NDF were observed during autumn
50 cm of residue
Date Pre-grazing (cm) Post-grazing (cm)
15 Sep. 2009 80 8 47 3
23 Oct. 2009 90 2 49 2
29 Nov. 2009 90 2 50 2
29 Dec. 2009 91 2 50 3
22 Jan. 2010 90 2 49 2
16 Feb. 2010 89 2 49 1
21 Mar. 2010 88 3 48 2
27 Apr. 2010A 86 2 48 3
Steer performance on Panicum maximum pasture Animal Production Science E

Table 2. Mean rest and grazing periods for Panicum maximum cv.
Mombaca pastures subjected to rotational stocking targeting either a 30-
or 50-cm post-grazing height from September 2009 to May 2010
Means followed by the same lowercase letter in the same row and, similarly,
means followed by the same uppercase letter in the same column are not
signicantly (P > 0.05) different from each other, as determined using a
Tukeys test at P = 0.05. Values in parentheses refer to the standard error of
the difference
Table 5. Pre-grazing means, standard errors of the difference (s.e.d.)
and probability levels (p) for the crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent
bre (NDF) concentrations, in vitro organic matter digestibility
(IVOMD), herbage intake (HI) average daily gain (ADG), stocking
rate (SR), and liveweight gain per area (WGA) during the growing
season in Panicum maximum cv. Mombaca pastures subjected to
rotational stocking targeting either a 30-or 50-cm post-grazing height
DM, dry matter; LW, liveweight; AU, animal units, with 1 AU = 450 kg LW

Residue (cm) Spring Summer Autumn Parameter Residue height (cm) s.e.d. P-value
30 50
Rest period (days)
30 47aA (1.2) 32cA (0.6) 41bA (1.3) CP (%) 11.6 14.0 0.3 0.0001
50 36aB (0.9) 25bB (0.8) 37aA (1.1) IVOMD (%) 57.7 61.9 0.7 0.0001
NDF (%) 75.7 73.1 0.4 0.0003
Grazing period (days)
HI (kg DM/100 kg LW) 2.0 2.6 0.04 0.0001
30 7.8aA (0.3) 5.3cA (0.2) 6.7bA (0.2)
ADG (g/steer.day) 392 655 55 0.0077
50 6.0aB (0.1) 4.1bA (0.1) 6.2aA (0.2)
SR (AU/ha) 6.73 5.10 0.46 0.0045
WGA (kg/ha) 637 1069 8.5 0.0007

Table 3. Pre-grazing means, standard errors of the difference (s.e.d.)

and probability levels (P) for the herbage mass (HM; kg/ha), herbage bulk
density (HBD; kg/ha.cm), leaf (LP), stem (SP) and dead material (DP) Table 6. Pre-grazing means, standard errors of the difference (s.e.d.)
percentages, and leaf : stem ratio (LSR) of herbage in the vertical strata of and probability levels (P) for the crude protein (CP), neutral detergent
Panicum maximum cv. Mombaca pastures subjected to rotational grazing bre (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) concentrations and in vitro
Means followed by the same letter in the same column are not signicantly organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) in the vertical strata of Panicum
(P > 0.05) different, as determined using a Tukeys test at P = 0.05 maximum cv. Mombaca pastures subjected to rotational stocking
Means followed by the same letter in the same column are not signicantly
Stratum (cm) HM HBD LP SP DP LSR (P > 0.05) different from each other, as determined using a Tukeys test at
P = 0.05
030 3140a 105a 13.6c 23.3a 63.1a 0.6b
3050 1730b 88b 61.7b 16.0b 22.3b 5.8b
5070 980c 49c 90.5a 3.5c 6.0c 30.5a Stratum (cm) CP (%) IVOMD (%) NDF (%) ADL (%)
7090 690c 40c 96.5a .2c 3.3c 030 7.1d 50.3d 80.0a 4.5a
s.e.d. 133 6.0 2.2 1.3 2.3 3.9 3050 9.3c 51.8c 76.6b 4.1b
P-value 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 5070 12.3b 58.9b 73.8c 3.8c
7090 14.4a 63.6a 72.1c 3.5d
s.e.d. 0.23 0.41 0.63 0.07
P-value 0.0001 0.0012 0.0001 0.0001
Table 4. Pre-grazing means and probability levels (P) for herbage
accumulation rate (HAR), the leaf and stem percentages, leaf : stem
(Table 4). No stratum by season (P > 0.05) or residual height by
ratio, crude protein (CP) neutral detergent bre (NDF) concentrations,
in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), herbage intake (HI), season (P > 0.05) interaction was detected for any of the variables
average daily gain (ADG)), and stocking rate (SR) in Panicum associated with nutritive value.
maximum cv. Mombaca pastures subjected to rotational stocking from
September 2009 to May 2010 Animal responses
DM, dry matter; LW, liveweight; AU, 450 kg LW. Means followed by the
A greater stocking rate was observed for the 30-cm than for the
same letter in the same row are not signicantly (P > 0.05) different, as
determined using a Tukeys test at P = 0.05. Values in parentheses refer to 50-cm residue treatment. However, greater herbage intake (HI)
the standard error of the difference and average daily gain (ADG) were observed for the 50-cm
treatment, resulting in a greater liveweight gain per area for
the 50-cm than the 30-cm residue treatment (Table 5).
Parameter Spring Summer Autumn P-value
The greatest stocking rate was observed during summer and
HAR (kg/ha.day) 58.3ab (9.5) 80.2a (9.5) 41.7b (9.5) 0.0394 the lowest in autumn (Table 4). The lower HI and ADG were
Leaf (%) 69.3a (1.9) 67.9a (1.7) 59.4b (2.1) 0.0024 observed in autumn (Table 4). No residual height by season
Stem (%) 9.6b (1.1) 9.3b (1.0) 13.4a (1.2) 0.0409 interaction was detected for stocking rate (P = 0.4073) and
Leaf : stem ratio 9.0a (1.6) 8.4a (1.2) 5.9b (1.1) 0.0032
average daily gain (P = 0.5759).
CP (%) 11.9a (0.2) 12.4a (0.2) 9.8b (0.3) 0.0001
NDF (%) 74.6b (0.5) 75.1b (0.) 77.1a (0.7) 0.0089
IVOMD (%) 57.4a (0.3) 58.9a (0.3) 55.8b (0.4) 0.0001 Post-grazing residue
HI 2.4 (0.05) 2.1 (0.07) 0.0001 At post-grazing, greater herbage mass and leaf percentage values
(kg DM/100 kg LW) were observed for the 50-cm than the 30-cm residue treatment
ADG (g/steer.day) 530a (12) 550a (11) 490b (15) 0.0146
(Table 7). However, no residual height effect was detected for
SR (AU/ha) 5.9b (0.4) 7.4a (0.3) 3.4c (0.4) 0.0001
stem percentage (P = 0.2508) or dead material percentage
F Animal Production Science V. P. B. Euclides et al.

(P = 0.1072). Moreover, no residual height by season interaction
(P = 0.1072) was observed for herbage mass, or percentages of
leaf, stem or dead material.
Discussion
The pre-grazing height was below the target for the rst grazing
cycles (Table 1). This occurred because we decided to initiate
grazing in the rst paddocks of each pasture soon after the guinea
had reached an average height of ~65 cm. This decision was
made to avoid the latter paddocks becoming too tall and overly
mature by the time they were grazed the rst time.
Similar herbage accumulation rate (60 kg/ha.day) was
recorded for each post-grazing height. Consequently, the
pastures grazed to 50 cm required fewer days to reach the pre-
grazing target (Table 2), resulting in 1.3 more grazing cycles in
the 50-cm than the 30-cm treatment (Table 1). Similar results for
the herbage accumulation rate and length of rest period have
been reported by Carnevalli et al. (2006) and Cunha et al. (2010)
for cv. Mombaca pastures grazed to the same post-grazing
heights.
In the current study, weather conditions were similar to the
past 20-year average, and rates of herbage accumulation (Table 4)
changed according to season of the year. The shortest rest period
was observed during the summer (Table 2), as a consequence of
the occurrence of the highest herbage accumulation rate at that
Table 7. Post-grazing means, standard errors of the difference (s.e.d.)
and probability levels (P) for the herbage mass and leaf percentage in
Panicum maximum cv. Mombaca pastures subjected to rotational
stocking targeting either a 30- or 50-cm post-grazing height
Parameter Residue height s.e.d.
(cm)
30 50
Herbage mass (kg/ha) 3270 4130 249
Leaf (%) 7.7 18.6 1.4
time of year (Table 4). This result may be explained by the more
favourable weather conditions (Figs 1, 2) and the application of
2/3 of the N fertiliser during this season. Consequently, a greater
stocking rate was necessary in the summer to maintain the pre-
and post-grazing height targets (Table 7, Fig. 3). However,
decreasing minimum temperature from March to May (Fig. 1)
and the water decit (Fig. 2) during the entire autumn reduced
herbage accumulation, resulting in the lowest stocking rate
among seasons in autumn (Table 4, Fig. 3). Note that during
the eighth cycle and for the 50-cm treatment, only two paddocks
of each pasture were grazed because, in the beginning of May,
the average canopy height in the other four paddocks was 70.5 cm,
far below the 90-cm target (Table 1). Accordingly, these trials
were terminated.
The changes in the length of the grazing period
(Table 2) could be explained by the variation in the herbage
accumulation rate (Table 4), the decisions regarding stocking
rate adjustments to maintain the post-grazing treatments targets
(Fig. 3) and the need for the animals to remain in their current
paddock until the next paddock to be grazed reached the pre-
grazing target. Consequently, the stocking rate was greater in
the pastures grazed to a 30-cm height (Table 5), resulting in
lower herbage mass and leaf percentage in this residual treatment
(Table 7).
Regardless of the post-grazing height, the liveweight of the
steers increased steadily over the growing season (Fig. 3).
However, lower performance was observed for the steers
grazing pastures to a 30-cm post-grazing height (Table 5,
Fig. 3). It is probable that this nding is a result of the
animals need to explore a lower stratum (3050 cm). This
layer was characterised by lower leaf percentage and
P-value leaf : stem ratio values and greater percentages of stem and
dead material than was the strata above 50 cm (Table 3). As
the steer diet consists primarily of leaf blades (Trindade et al.
2007), the presence of sheath, stem and dead material in the
0.0278
grazing horizon limits the bite depth (Carvalho et al. 2008).
0.0001
Under such conditions, it is common to observe an increase in

30 (Stocking rate) 50 (Stocking rate) 30 (Liveweight) 50 (Liveweight)

400 10

380 9
360
8
Stocking rate (UA/ha)

340
7
Liveweight (kg)

320
6
300
5
280
4
260

240 3

220 2

200 1
Sep./09 Oct./09 Nov./09 Dec./09 Jan./10 Feb./10 Mar./10 Apr./10 May/10

Fig. 3. Monthly distribution of steer liveweights and stocking rates on Panicum maximum cv.
Mombaca grass under rotational stocking, with two post-grazing residue heights (30 and 50 cm)
associated with a pre-grazing sward of 90 cm.
Steer performance on Panicum maximum pasture
the bite rate, a reduction of the bite mass (Palhano et al. 2007;
Trindade et al. 2007) and an increase in the daily grazing time
(Difante et al. 2009). Thus, it is probable that the sward structure
(Table 3) played an important role in decreasing herbage intake
(Table 5) by the animals that had to explore the 3050-cm stratum.
In addition, the low nutritive value of this stratum (Table 6) also
contributed to a lower liveweight gain in the animals in pastures
grazed to a height of 30 cm (Table 5, Fig. 3).
The lowest nutritive value occurred in the basal stratum
(Table 6) due to greater percentages of old mature leaves,
stems and dead material close to ground level relative to
higher in the canopy (Table 3). The herbage intake results
(Table 5) are consistent with the data from the structural
characteristics of the sward (Table 3).
The number of extra animals (1.63 AU/ha) used in the
pastures managed to a 30-cm height did not offset the lower
individual liveweight gain, resulting in a lower liveweight gain
per area (Table 5). However, the harvest efciencies were 78%
and 62%, on average, for the 30- and 50-cm residue treatments,
respectively. These results are in accord with the observation
made by Carnevalli et al. (2006) that a greater grazing efciency
is obtained in Mombaca pastures grazed to a 30-cm sward
height, than in those grazed to 50 cm. However, in terms of
animal performance, higher liveweight gains per animal and per
area were produced in the pastures grazed to a 50-cm height.
This nding is consistent with the argument advanced by
Carvalho et al. (2004) that the best use of pasture occurs if the
grazing efciency is between 50% and 60%. This range would
correspond to a compromise between the optimisation of
individual performance and the liveweight gain per area. In
this context, Carvalho et al. (2009) suggested that the residual
height should be 50% of the pre-grazing sward height. In the
present trial, this height would be 45 cm, close to the 50-cm
residue height.
As a common pre-grazing target height was used (90 cm),
a similar pre-grazing herbage mass was recorded throughout
the experimental period. It was also observed that the canopy
structure was not inuenced by the post-grazing height.
However, the greatest values for stem percentage and lowest
values for leaf percentage and leaf : stem ratio were observed in
autumn (Table 4). It is probable that these circumstances
contributed to an increase in the difculty of selecting and pre-
hending the herbage, besides a decrease in the nutritive value
of the available forage (Table 4), resulting in a lower herbage
intake, and, consequently, a lower average daily gain during
that season (Table 4). These changes could be explained, in
part, by the owering of the grass, which occurs in mid-April
in Campo Grande (20
250 S). It is known that after the
inorescence emerges, the appearance of leaves ceases and
there is an increase in stem elongation and accumulation of
dead material.
Conclusions
On Panicum maximum cv. Mombaca, sward structure, nutritive
value, herbage intake and animal performance are determined by
post-grazing residue height. Differences in herbage intake and,
consequently, animal performance are basically a consequence
of the animals need to explore the 3050-cm stratum. This layer
Animal Production Science G
is characterised by lower leaf : stem ratio and nutritive value
relative to the strata above 50 cm.
These results showed an advantage of ~40% in liveweight
gain per animal and per area when Mombaca guinea grass is
rotationally stocked to leave a 50-cm vs a 30-cm post-grazing
height, following initiation of grazing at a sward height of 90
cm. Because our data represent a single growing season, long-
term studies should be conducted to conrm this result.
Acknowledgements
Thanks are expressed to Fundect-MS, CAPES, and CNPq for nancial
support.
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