AERIAL BIOMASS RESIDUE OF WINTER ANNUAL FORAGES IN AN INTEGRATED CROP-LIVESTOCK SYSTEM

Abstract

Producers in southern Brazil are seeking to diversify farm income and increase production efficiency by integrating livestock grazing of winter annual forages within rotations of summer grain crops. Our objective was to determine grazing and nitrogen fertilization effects on decomposition of winter annual forage residues in corn. A winter cover of oat (Avena strigosa Shreb) and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) was no-till seeded in April 2002 near Ponta Grossa, PR in southern Brazil. Treatment combinations of N fertilizer (0 or 150 kg ha-1) and grazing (grazed or not grazed) were imposed on the winter forage cover. The grazing period was from June to early October 2002. The winter forage was desiccated on 11 October and corn was no-till planted 20 d later with two N treatments (0 and 150 kg N ha-1). Above ground forage biomass residue was hand-clipped, placed in small nylon bags that were scattered on the soil immediately after corn planting, and recovered after five periods of three weeks each for determination of residual dry matter. Results were submitted to analysis of variance. The loss of residual dry matter followed a quadratic function on time. Decomposition of winter annual forage residue was affected by winter treatment (P<0.02), corn N rate (P<0.01), and by their interaction . At the last collection period (132 days after corn planting) differences (P<0.01) were detected only for the winter treatments. Treatments receiving winter-applied N had greater decomposition of residue regardless of the grazing treatment imposed on the winter forage cover.