Factores que afectan la degradación y productividad otoño-invernal de pasturas permanentes

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of crop-pasture rotations on the persistence of sown pastures and animal performance.

The experimental site is located at the Palo a Pique Experimental Unit of INIA Treinta y Tres in Uruguay. Two rotational treatments were included: The long rotation (LR) is a 6-year forage crop-pasture rotation, with 2 years of crops (oats - forage sorghum - ryegrass – moha) followed by 4 years of a mixed perennial pasture (tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), white clover (Trifolium repens) and birdsfoot (Lotus corniculatus)). In this system, the livestock production strategy involved backgrounding and finishing 60 steers. With 24 steers used for the purpose of this experiment. The short rotation (SR) is a 4-year forage crop-pasture rotation, including the same sequence of crops as in the LR. However, the pasture phase lasts 2 years, with one half composed of Lotus corniculatus and Trifolium pratense and the other half composed of Trifolium pratense, Holcus lanatus and Cichorium.

The livestock production strategy in this system involved backgrounding 19 heifers and finishing 23 cows. The variables analyzed were measured monthly from March to September 2022. Pasture measurements included the forage existence, growth rate, and forage production in a monthly and seasonal basis, missing or consumed forage, harvest efficiency, and occupation time. Animal evaluations included liveweight gain, average seasonal and annual animal supply, daily weight gain, conversion efficiency, forage balance, and production of liveweight per hectare (LW/ha).