Consórcio entre gramíneas e leguminosas para produção de silagens, fenos e pré-secados

Abstract

The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the effect of different intercropping and spacing arrangements of corn and crotalaria on the agronomic characteristics, chemical composition, and digestibility of the forage produced. The trial was implemented as a randomized block design in a 3 × 2 factorial scheme, with three intercropping [single corn (CSC), corn + Crotalaria juncea (CCJ), and corn + Crotalaria ochroleuca (CCO)], in two spacing arrangements [A1 (corn and legume sown in the same row) and A2 (corn and legume sown in alternate rows)], with six repetitions per treatment, during two agricultural years. The forage plants were collected when the corn grain reached the pasty-farinaceous phenological stage. Dry matter yields (total and of each species), morphological composition, chemical composition, and in vitro digestibility of the intercropping were evaluated. The highest total production of dry matter was found in the CCO intercropping (11,140 kg/ha), in the second year. The highest corn dry matter production (9,402 kg/ha) was found for CSC. The highest production of dry matter from the legume was observed in the CCJ intercropping, in the two years. Regarding the chemical composition, the highest content of crude protein was seen in the CCJ and CCO intercropping. The lowest content of acid detergent fibre was found in the CSC and CCO, which directly reflected the coefficients of in vitro true DM digestibility. It is concluded that C. ochroleuca, sown between the rows of corn, has greater mass productivity, together with the best nutritional value among the tested intercropping.