Milk production from 3 tropical pastures coast cross bermuda grass no. 1 cynodon dactylon improved star grass cynodon nlemfuensis and pangola grass digitaria decumbens during the rainy season
Jerez, I.; Rodriguez, V.; Rivero, J.L.
Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science 18(3): 253-260
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0864-0408
Accession: 005902375
Some 108 2nd and 3rd lactation Holstein cows 180 days after calving with a mean production of 10-12 kg of milk/cow/day were used. A 3 .times. 3 factorial arrangement was employed to study the productive performance of 3 pastures: coast cross bermuda grass no. 1 (C. nlemfuensis) and pangola grass (D. decumbens) with stocking rates of 3, 4 and 5 cows/ha during the rainy season. Pasture was fertilized with 50 kg of N/ha every 2 rotations: P and K at a rate of 45 and 60 kg/ha, respectively, were applied at the beginning of the rainy season. A significant interaction between grass species and stocking rate was found for milk production and a higher milk yield with 5 cows/ha in star grass was obtained. Fat corrected milk yield (9.1; 9.2 and 9.4 kg/ha/day) was not significantly affected by 3, 4 or 5 cows/ha nor by the grass species (coast cross bermuda grass, star grass and pangola grass, respectively). No significant interaction was found in the other animal performance indices and no differences were observed between the factors studied. No interaction was also found in DM availability/cow/day; a significant difference was encountered between stocking rates (78.19, 55.66 and 41.11 kg DM/cow/day, for 3, 4 and 5 cows/ha, respectively); grass species did not affect it. It is possible to reach 9 and 11 kg/day of milk during the rainy season and 3 cows/ha on bermuda grass, 4 cows/ha on pangola grass and 5 cows/ha on star grass.