Biometric and Bromatological Characteristics of Brachiaria Inoculated With Azospirillum brasilense Associated With Nitrogen Fertilization

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the biometric and bromatological characteristics of Urochloa ruziziensis in due to inoculation times with Azospirillum brasilense in the presence or absence of nitrogen fertilization. To do so it was used a randomized blocks design, with factorial scheme 4 × 2, where the first factor consisted the inoculation periods: control; A. brasilense in the seed; A. brasilense at tillering (aerial) and A. brasilense seed + foliar. The second factor constituted in the presence or absence of nitrogen (1000 mg dm³). Evaluations were made in the first, second and third cut, being evaluated the plant height, number of tillers per plant, leaves dry mass, culm+sheath dry mass; crude protein content, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber. The use of nitrogen fertilization increased the productive and bromatological parameters in the crop of U. ruziziensis, however, the use of A. brasilense increased only the height of plants, not influencing the other productive characteristics and the bromatological parameters. It is concluded that the use of A. brasilense, regardless the period it was made, presents inconclusive results for biometric and bromatological characteristics of plants of Urochloa ruziziensis in need of further studies, on the other hand, the nitrogen fertilization brings positive effects over the evaluated parameters on U. ruziziensis.