In grasses, leaf expansion and central rib growth occur in a non-proportional manner, with potential implications to the nutritive value of leaves. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship among blade length, percentage of central rib, anatomical characteristics and the nutritive value along the length of leaf blades of different sizes and hierarchical order of insertion on the tiller axis of Napier elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum. cv. Napier). Two experiments were carried out with isolated growing plants during the summer of 2017 (January to March). Central rib mass increased linearly with the increase in leaf blade mass and its percentage relative to blade mass decreased from the base to the tip of the leaf. There were no significant variations in anatomical characteristics along the length of leaf blades when central rib was not taken into account. The central rib showed negative relationship with nutritive value. The apical portions of long leaves showed similar digestibility to short leaves. The multivariate analysis of Cluster and Principal Components grouped the response variables according to leaf hierarchical order, final blade length and percentage of structural tissues, highlighting the relationship between leaf size, structural tissues and nutritive value.

No abstract

No abstract

Distribution of the intercropped plants determines the production but it is highly dependent on the machinery of the property. Producers, who harvest silage row by row, depend on plantings with greater spacing. This study was aimed to evaluate the maize intercropped for cultivated silage in 0.90 m between rows, with grass under the shade and full sunlight conditions. Maize with brachiaria grass was tested in four sowing densities (0, 2, 4 and 6 kg of pure and viable seeds per hectare). The factorial treatments (2x2x4) were distributed in a split-plot design with four repetitions. The maize agronomic characteristics and the silage quality were evaluated. There was a high level of competition when associated with maize, piatã and eucalyptus. Aggressive piatã grass growth, with Carnevalli et al.; JEAI, 39(6): 1-9, 2019; Article no.JEAI.50010 2 light restriction by trees, have affected strongly the maize forage mass-produced, and consequently, reduced silage production. Regarding grain yield, the intercrop with ruziziensis grass was superior (210%) to the intercrop with piatã grass. It was mainly influenced by the low yield in the piatã grass intercropped under shade conditions. This pattern was different for ruziziensis because it was a less aggressive grass in terms of growth. For plantations with 0.90 m of spacing, there was a light restriction. The maize intercropped under the shade of trees must be done with lower growth rate grass to reduce competition and maintain the yield. Original Research Article

Padrão de expansão, características morfológicas e anatômicas e valor nutritivo de lâminas foliares de capim-elefante cv. Napier