Cutting frequency and height on the quality of Megathyrsus maximus (cv. Gatton panic)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the nutritional quality of dry matter (DM) of the grass Megathyrsus maximus (cv. Gatton Panic). The work was carried out at "Cabaña Doña Anita," Chaco province, Argentina. A completely randomized design with a factorial arrangement with 2 cutting heights (H = 0.15 and 0.30 m), 3 frequencies (F = 30, 45, and 90 days), and 2 times (T = 90 and 180 days) were used with five replicates each (60 experimental units). The percentage of DM, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and digestibility (DG) were also determined. For CP, an interaction between the variables H x T and F x T was found. For the H x T interaction, the cuts carried out in less time showed a signi ficant difference (p < 0.05) in both heights. For the F x T interaction in the 90 x 30 combination, there was a significant difference (p < 0.05) with respect to the remaining combinations. Regarding NDF, for the height variable, the content of the former increases when the grass height increases (p < 0.05) due to a higher elongation of stems and leaves. Concerning ADF (p < 0.05), differences between the T x H interaction values for 180 days with 0.15 and 0.30 m were observed. Further, significant differences were observed for digestibility (p < 0.05) in the H x T interaction. We conclude that the highest crude protein content was obtained with a frequency of 30 days. The NDF and ADF increased with pasture height.