EFFECT OF CUTTING DAYS ON THE MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF Panicum maximum CV. WALL WITH NITROGEN FERTILIZATION LEVELS IN THE DRY SEASON

Abstract

The raising of cattle on pasture in Brazil is one of the main activities for the occupation of agricultural frontier areas, standing out for its low cost and efficiency. However, in beef cattle, the practice of inadequate management and the lack of nutrient replacement in pastures contribute to the degradation of areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the production of Panicum maximum cv. Walling under different cutting intervals (28 and 56 days) and nitrogen fertilization levels (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 kg of N ha^-¹ year^-¹) during the dry period, in the municipality of Imperatriz, MA. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design, with five treatments, four replications and two cutting intervals. Before the beginning of the experiments, the blocks were standardized, adjusting the height of the plants to 30 cm. The parameters evaluated were: percentage of leaves (%F), percentage of stalks (%C), dry matter production (PMS), number of tillers (NP), plant height (AL) and leaf dry matter production (PMSF). The results showed that nitrogen fertilization had no significant effect on the cutting intervals (28 and 56 days), with values of p > 0.05 for all parameters evaluated (percentage of leaves, percentage of stalks, dry matter production, number of tillers, plant height and leaf dry matter production). The increase in nitrogen levels also did not promote significant increases in dry matter production, with p > 0.05. Dry matter production was similar between treatments with different nitrogen doses, and there was no significant variation in plant height (p = 0.23) or number of tillers (p = 0.14). The distribution of dry matter between leaves and stems was also not influenced by the treatments (p = 0.31). It is concluded that, under the conditions of the present study, the cutting intervals and the levels of nitrogen fertilization evaluated did not have a significant impact on the production of Panicum maximum cv. Wall.