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Morphological characteristics and kinetics of in vitro gas production of tall and dwarf elephant grass genotypes as affected by harvest frequencies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2025

Natália Viana da Silva Open the ORCID record for Natália Viana da Silva [Opens in a new window] ,
Mércia Virginia Ferreira dos Santos Open the ORCID record for Mércia Virginia Ferreira dos Santos [Opens in a new window] ,
Valdson José da Silva Open the ORCID record for Valdson José da Silva [Opens in a new window] ,
André Luiz Rodrigues Magalhães Open the ORCID record for André Luiz Rodrigues Magalhães [Opens in a new window] ,
Márcio Vieira da Cunha Open the ORCID record for Márcio Vieira da Cunha [Opens in a new window] ,
Vanilson Pedro da Silva Open the ORCID record for Vanilson Pedro da Silva [Opens in a new window] ,
Rayanne Thalita de Almeida Souza Open the ORCID record for Rayanne Thalita de Almeida Souza [Opens in a new window] ,
Elisvaldo José Silva Alencar Open the ORCID record for Elisvaldo José Silva Alencar [Opens in a new window] ,
Evaristo Jorge Oliveira de Souza Open the ORCID record for Evaristo Jorge Oliveira de Souza [Opens in a new window]  and
Rinaldo Luiz Caraciolo Ferreira Open the ORCID record for Rinaldo Luiz Caraciolo Ferreira [Opens in a new window]
Natália Viana da Silva*
Affiliation:
Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
Mércia Virginia Ferreira dos Santos
Affiliation:
Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – CNPq Scholarship, Recife, PE, Brazil
Valdson José da Silva
Affiliation:
Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil
André Luiz Rodrigues Magalhães
Affiliation:
Federal University of Agreste of Pernambuco, Garanhuns, PE, Brazil
Márcio Vieira da Cunha
Affiliation:
Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – CNPq Scholarship, Recife, PE, Brazil
Vanilson Pedro da Silva
Affiliation:
Federal University of Agreste of Pernambuco, Garanhuns, PE, Brazil
Rayanne Thalita de Almeida Souza
Affiliation:
Governador Eduardo Campos State Technical School, São Bento do Una, PE, Brazil
Elisvaldo José Silva Alencar
Affiliation:
Federal University of Vale do São Francisco, Petrolina, PE, Brazil
Evaristo Jorge Oliveira de Souza
Affiliation:
Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Serra Talhada, PE, Brazil
Rinaldo Luiz Caraciolo Ferreira
Affiliation:
Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – CNPq Scholarship, Recife, PE, Brazil
*
Corresponding author: Natália Viana da Silva; Email: natalia.viana@ufrpe.br
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Abstract

Elephant grass [Cenchrus purpureus (Schum.) Morrone] is a tropical forage grass widely used in ruminant feeding in tropical and subtropical areas, mainly in cut-and-carry systems due to is high potential for herbage accumulation. However, most common genotypes (tall genotypes) generally show an early stem elongation, which contributes to a rapid decline in the forage nutritive value. Dwarf elephant grass types usually present less stem elongation and may be considered an option for the production of high nutritive value forage in cut-and-carry systems. The aims of this study were to evaluate and explain variations in herbage characteristics and kinetics of in vitro gas production of irrigated elephant grass genotypes (two tall-types – Elephant B and IRI-381 – and two dwarf-types genotypes – Mott and Taiwan A-146 2.37) under two harvest frequencies (60 and 90 days) in the dry and rainy seasons of two years. Herbage characteristics varied among genotypes, harvest frequency and seasons. Dwarf genotypes showed better in vitro fermentation parameters with the advancement of maturity compared to the tall size genotypes. Harvesting tall genotypes at a higher frequency (60-day) contributed to improving the fermentation, while dwarf elephant grass maintained greater fermentation when less frequent harvests were adopted (90-day).

Keywords

Cenchrus purpureuscutting agedegradabilitymanagementNapiergrass

Information

Type
Crops and Soils Research Paper
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 163 , Issue 2 , April 2025 , pp. 171 - 182
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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