Productive behavior of sheep in a silvopastoral system of Leucaena leucocephala associated with Megathyrsus maximus var. Mombasa versus natural field

Abstract

Planned silvopastoral systems can improve the productivity of pastoral livestock. The objective was to analyze characteristics of the forage plant canopy of three types of areas for sheep grazing: silvopastoral system Leucaena leucocephala-Megathyrsus maximus var. Mombasa at two densities of L.leucocephala and natural field in a low deciduous forest environment. The densities of L. leucocephala were 4700 and 2383 plant plants/ha. The variables were: amounts of forage offered (FO) and rejected (FR), daily forage allocation (ADF), harvest grade (GC), forage disappearance rate (TD), in vitro digestibility of dry matter (DIVMS), crude protein (CP) and concentration of eight minerals, which were determined in blood serum and weight of the sheep to calculate daily weight gain (GDP). The design was completely randomized with three repetitions. The natural field showed up to 50% less (p≤0.05) FO, FR, ADF and TD than the average of the two silvopastoral systems. The DIVMS of the herbaceous FO (Mombasa in silvopastoral systems) did not show a stable trend, but the PC did, which was 25% higher (p≤0.05) in the natural field. The DIVMS and CP in the FO of the tree layer were similar (p>0.05) in the three types of grazing areas. The FO considering herbaceous and tree strata showed high levels of K and Fe, while, for Ca, Mg, Na and Zn, it is advisable to offer them in addition to the forage in the three types of grazing areas. The sheep in natural fields lost weight while those that grazed any silvopastoral systems gained weight. The silvopastoral system Leucaena leucocephala-Megathyrsus maximus var. Mombasa shows a forage canopy that can improve the productive behavior of livestock compared to the natural field of a low deciduous forest.