Resumo

SANCHEZ, Saray; CRESPO, G  e  HERNANDEZ, Marta. Litter accumulation in a Panicum maximum grassland and in a silvopastoral system of Panicum maximum and Leucaena leucocephala. Pastos y Forrajes [online]. 2007, vol.30, n.3, pp. 1-1. ISSN 0864-0394.

A study was carried out at the Experimental Station of Pastures and Forages "Indio Hatuey", Matanzas, Cuba, with the objective of determining the litter accumulation in a pastureland of Panicum maximum Jacq cv. Likoni and in a silvopastoral system of Panicum maximum and Leucaena leucocephala (Lam) de Wit cv. Cunningham. In the P. maximum pasturelands of both systems the litter accumulation was determined by means of the technique proposed by Bruce and Ebershon (1982), while the litter of L. leucocephala accumulated in the silvopastoral system was determined according to Santa Regina et al. (1997). In general, the results showed that in both pasturelands the Guinea grass accumulated a lower quantity of litter during the June-December period, stage in which its highest vegetative development occurs. In leucaena, the highest litter production occurred in the December-January period, associated to the natural fall of its leaves that is produced due to the effect of the lower temperatures and the scarce moisture in the soil. In the silvopastoral system the leucaena litter represented the highest percentage of weight within the total production, with a higher nitrogen and calcium content than the litter of the herbaceous stratum. In the Guinea grass the rainfall was the climatic factor that showed higher negative correlation with the litter production in both systems, and in leucaena the highest negative correlation was found with the lowest temperature.

Palavras-chave : Climatic factors; Leucaena leucocephala; litter; Panicum maximum.

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