Production and nutritive value of ten forage grasses in the northwest region of the state of São Paulo

Abstract

The experiment was carried out in the Northwest region of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, to evaluate ten grasses recently introduced in the region, during two wet (WS) and two dry (DS) seasons. The grasses studied were: Cynodon spp.( cvs. Tifton 68, Tifton 78, Tifton 85, Florakirk, Florico, Florona, and Coastcross) , Paspalum notatum cv. Tifton 9, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, Panicum maximum cv. Tanzânia. The accumulated DM production did not differ among the grasses evaluated. Higher contents of CP (125 to 145 g.kg^-1) were observed in the cultivars of the genus Cynodon in the WS. Higher values of NDF were observed in the species of Cynodon and Paspalum in the WS and DS. The IVDMD varied from 436 to 699 g.kg^-1, being the lower value observed in the cv. Tifton 9 in the WS and the higher value in the cv. Tifton 68 in the DS. The seasonal difference in the production of DM was more pronounced in the cv. Tifton 85, which presented only 9% of the annual production in the DS