Abstract

PAVETTI, DANIEL R.; BENVENUTTI, MARCELO A.; RADKE, ÓSCAR  and  CIBILS, ÓMAR A.. Long-term assessment of a new rotational-grazing management strategy called PUP-grazing (proportion of un-grazed pasture). Trop. Grassl.-Forrajes Trop. [online]. 2018, vol.6, n.1, pp.53-57. ISSN 2346-3775.  https://doi.org/10.17138/tgft(6)53-57.

A new rotational-grazing management strategy called PUP-grazing (proportion of un-grazed pasture, which is the estimated percentage of pasture vegetation without signs of being consumed) was compared with the traditional rotational-grazing management strategy (TGMS, which is based on residual sward height) using Brahman cross steers on Axonopus catarinensis over two periods (2013/14 and 2015/16) in Misiones, Argentina. The proportion of un-grazed pasture for PUP and TGMS was 11.5 and 3.4%, respectively, of the pasture area. Average daily liveweight gain/animal was significantly higher for PUP than for TGMS (606 vs. 420 g/d; P<0.05) while liveweight gain per hectare was 35% greater for PUP (194 vs. 144 kg/ha/period). The gross margin per hectare was much higher for PUP than for TGMS (US$ 85.7 vs. 8.4/ha/period). These results indicate that on A. catarinensis pastures PUP-grazing has the potential for greater animal and economic performance than the TGMS.

Keywords : Cattle; forage consumption; grazing management; gross margin; liveweight gain.

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