Weeping lovegrass yield and nutritional quality provides an alternative to beef cattle feeding in semiarid environments of Argentina

LUCIANI, GABRIELA; SOBANSKI, MANFRED; MAURO MEIER; PABLO POLCI; MIRANDA, RUBÉN; ECHENIQUE, VIVIANA

CROP SCIENCE

CROP SCIENCE SOC AMER

Año: 2011

0011-183X

Weeping lovegrass is a perennial warm-season grass spread over tropical and subtropical  regions worldwide. In Argentina, it has potential to colonize marginal production areas. Therefore, the nutritional quality and yield of seven cultivars of weeping lovegrass was evaluated in a field trial located at Cabildo (Argentina) during two growing seasons. A  CRBD including five cultivars (Tanganyika, Morpa, Don Pablo, Don Juan, Don Eduardo), two accessions (UNST9355 and 9446) and three blocks was used. Agronomic, morphological and nutritional traits including fresh weight, dry weight, leaf length and  Page 1 of 30 crown diameter, crude protein content, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD), neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and lignin content were determined. Two clippings per season were performed. The highest yields for winter growth and summer regrowth were obtained from Don Pablo and UNST9355, and Don Juan and UNST9446 respectively. Weeping lovegrass yield suggested that hexaploid cultivars were more  productive than tetraploid ones under drought conditions. Also, IVDMDs indicated that digestibility decreased from winter to summer with the highest values obtained from Don  Juan under drought conditions. Hence, breeding programs could select suitable parents  from hexaploid cultivars such as Don Pablo and UNST9446 to be used in arid environments, while tetraploid cultivars such as Tanganyika and Morpa could be used in  environments with less water restrictions.