Abstract

CAJAS-GIRON, Yasmín Socorro et al. Effect of the renewal technology pasture of Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus on meat production in the North Coast of Colombia. Corpoica cienc. tecnol. agropecu. [online]. 2012, vol.13, n.2, pp.213-218. ISSN 0122-8706.

One of the factors that significantly limits the competitiveness and sustainability of the livestock sector in the Caribbean region is the degradation of soils and pastures. The objective of this study was to assess, on farms engaged in the production of meat in the Atlántico department, the effect of pasture renewal technologies, such as mechanical intervention with vertical tillage, establishment of a new grass, application of a fertilization plan and grazing rotation, on meat production.Three farms were selected in which a baseline was established in 2007 and subsequently, in 2008 and 2009, the effect of the renovation on the production of forage and meat was evaluated. Forage availability was determined in both the renewed and non-renewed pastures; and each month, the weight of the animals was recorded. The data were analyzed using a randomized block design with factorial arrangement. There was a significant effect of the applied technology on pasture production in both the wet season and the dry season (P < 0.05). The effect was greater in the wet season than in the dry season (P < 0.05). The recovered pasture had 1.5 times more forage in comparison with the control pasture (21.9 vs. 8.9 t DM ha-1). In the dry season, the applied technology decreased the detrimental effect of water stress, producing twice the amount of forage than the control pasture in the same period (5.2 vs. 2.5 t DM ha-1). The recovered pasture in the dry and wet seasons also positively affected total beef production. Meat production was higher in the rainy season than during the dry season (353 kg vs. 171 kg ha^-1). The overall average indicated that meat production per unit area was 4 times higher in the recovered pasture than in the control pasture (859 kg vs. 171 kg ha^-1). The results showed that pasture renewal technologies on farms in the Atlántico department provide significant improvements for forage and meat production per unit area that could have effects on the farmers incomes.

Keywords : tillage; degradation; fertilization; rotational grazing.

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