Forage yield and quality of stockpiled leucaena

Newton de Lucena Costa and Valdinei Tadeu Paulino*

Embrapa Rondônia, Caixa Postal 406, Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil

newton@cpafro.embrapa.br
* Instituto de Zootecnia, Nova Odessa, São Paulo, Brazil

Introduction

Seasonal imbalance between forage yield/quality and animal requirements remains one of the
most serious factors retardind the development of the cattle production in State of Rondônia,
Brazil. Excess forage conservation as hay or silage to be utilized in the dry season may be a viable
solution but is not widely practiced. Delay in stockpiled of pastures during the rainy season is a
way to adjust to the yearly seasonal changes. Tropical forage legumes have deep roots and thus
may be more tolerant than grasses to water stress. However, legumes must have adequate
management during the rainy season to increase forage yields and pasture quality in the dry
period. The objective of this study was to assessed the effects of stocking delay during the rainy
season on the forage yields and chemical composition of leucaena in the dry season.

Material and Methods

The trial was carried out under field conditions without supplemental irrigation at the
Experimental Station of Presidente Médici, Rondônia, Brazil. Annual rainfall averaging 2.200
mm was measured from March, 1987 to november, 1989. The soil was a red-yellow Podzol
(Ultisol), clayey, with pH = 5.9; P = 2 mg/kg; Ca + Mg = 4.8 cmol/dm3 and K = 74 mg/kg. A
split-plot design with three replicates was used. Main plots consisted of three dates of deferment
(February 28, March 30, and April 30); and subtreatments were four dates of utilization (June 30,
July 30, August 30, and September 30). Leucaena cv. Cunninghan was drilled in rows at 1.0 m
apart, distributing 8-10 seeds per linear meter. The total area received 22 kg of P/ha as triple
superphosphate. Cutting was carried out manually at 50 cm stubble height. At each harvest, fresh
harvested material was weighted, and two 800 g subsamples per plot were separeted by hand into
forage useful fraction (leaves, flowers, pods, and branches with diameter less than 6 mm) and
hard-stem fraction. These samples were dried to constant moisture at 65ºC to determine percent
of dry metter (DM). Total N content was determined by micro-Kjeldhal method.

Results and Discussion

Accumulative edible forage was significantly affected by delay dates and dates of utilization
(Table 1). The highest DM yield was reached in February delay (6.89 t/ha), while the lowest
forage yield was obtained in the April delay (4.66 t/ha). The dates of utilization that provided the
highest forage yields were September (6.55 t/ha), August (6.48 t/ha), and July (5.57 t/ha). They
were similar and superior to the utilization in June. In the same way, Molina et al. (1996)
observed that leucaena stockpiled in November or January and utilized in April, provided higher
DM yields than when stockpiled in February or March. A similar tendency was reported by
Norman et al. (1980) with Cajanus cajan, Pizarro and Vera (1990) with Centrosema pubescens

Nitrogen Fixing Tree Research Reports-Vol. 13 (1995) 66

and Costa and Oliveira (1992) with several Centrosema species. DM yields reached in this trial
were twice those reported by Costa and Paulino (1990) for leucaena in Presidente Médici, during
dry season, without delay. In relation to crude protein yields, the highest values were obtained in
the February delay with utilization in August or September (Table 2). These results agree with
previous observations (Costa and Oliveira, 1992; Molina et al. 1996).

Table 1. Accumulative edible forage (t/ha) of stockpiled leucaena, as affected by dates of utilization at
Presidente Médici, Rondônia, Brazil.

Stockpiled Dates of utilization

June July August September Mean
February 5.14 7.27 8.13 7.01 6.89 a
March 4.18 5.66 5.98 6.19 5.50 b
April 3.05 3.78 5.34 6.45 4.66 c
Mean 4.12 c 5.57 b 6.48 a 6.55 ab
- Means followed by the same letters are not significantly different at 5% probability by Tukey´s test.

Table 2. Crude protein yields (kg/ha) of stockpiled leucaena, as affected by dates of utilization at Presidente
Médici, Rondônia, Brazil.

Stockpiled Dates of utilization

June July August September Mean
February 951 1309 1439 1218 1229 a
March 811 1070 1083 1119 1021 b
April 619 749 1135 1206 927 b
Mean 794 c 1043 b 1219 a 1181 ab
- Means followed by the same letters are not significantly different at 5% probability by Tukey´s test.

Conclusions

These data suggest the viability of leucaena stockpiled delay during rainy season, aiding herd
supplementation in the dry season. The dates of delays most promising were February and March,
while those for utilization were July, August, and September.

References

Costa, N de L and V T Paulino 1990 Comparative performance of four leucaena cultivars in an Ultisol.
Leucaena Res. Rep. 11:37-38.

Costa, N de L and J R da C Oliveira 1992. Efeito do diferimento sobre o rendimento de leguminosas

forrageiras nos cerrados de Rondônia. Pasturas Tropicales, 14(1):32-35.

Molina, J; J Faría-Mármol and Z Chirinos 1996. Efecto de diferir la época de utilización en la

producción y calidad de la asociación Panicum maximum-Leucaena leucocephala. Pasturas Tropicales,
18(1):51-54.

Norman, M F T ; P G E Searle; N Dankittipakul; K C Ingram, and F de B Baskoro 1980. Evaluation

of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) as an autumn forage for coastal New South Wales. Aust. J. Exp. Agric.
Anim. Husb. 20:55-62.

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Pizarro, E A and R R Vera 1990. Efecto de diferir la época de utilización en la producción y calidad de
Centrosema pubescens. Pasturas Tropicales, 12(1):39-43.

Nitrogen Fixing Tree Research Reports-Vol. 13 (1995) 68