Pasture Production and Sheep Behavior in Mixed or Adjacent Monocultures Swards in Different Seasons of the Year

摘要

cqvip:Traditionally,forage is grown in mixed(Mi)or monoculture(Mo)pastures.However,there is currently no evaluation of the advantages of these production systems under tropical conditions.The aim of this study was to evaluate forage production and animal behavior in Mi and Mo pastures containing white clover(Trifolium repens L.),African star(Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst)and Taiwan Napier(Pennisetum purpureum Schumach),using a completely randomized design with two treatments(Mo and Mi)and three repetitions during the four seasons of the year.For each repetition and season,three sheep were evaluated for 8 h/d during three consecutive days.The forage produced in Mo and Mi pastures was similar(p>0.05)during the four seasons of the year.Sheep displayed higher(p<0.01)average daily weight gains(ADG)when grazed on Mi than Mo pastures,particularly during summer,autumn and winter,seasons that corresponded to the higher dry matter intake(DMI)(p<0.05),even though sheep spent more time(p<0.01)grazing on Mo pastures,when compared with spring.It was concluded that there is no advantage in forage production when associations of white clover and two tropical grasses are grown in Mo or Mi pastures.However,heavier sheep are obtained from the later as a result of an increase in forage consumption.