Forage production of four cultivars of hybrid Urochloa in Güemez, Tamaulipas

Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the effect of regrowth age on forage production in Urochloa cultivars (Cobra, Convert 330, Camello I, and Camello II) in Güemes, Tamaulipas. The experiment was conducted under rainfed conditions from September to November 2018. The variables evaluated were: plant height (PH; cm), yield (kg ha-1) of dry matter of leaves (DMl), dry matter of stems (DMs), and intercepted radiation (IR; %). The statistical design was completely randomized, with three repetitions; Tukey’s mean comparison test (p= 0.05) was applied. In general, the accumulation of dry matter increases depending on the age of regrowth. During the eighth week of regrowth, the highest yields were obtained, and the leaf yield was higher than the stem yield. The highest yields of DMl were obtained at the eighth week of regrowth (p≤ 0.05), regardless of cultivar, with yields of 1 625.3, 3 183.7, 3 032.7, and 4 227.7 kg ha^-1 DM for Cobra, Convert 330, Camello I and Camello II, respectively. The eighth week is the optimal time to use the forage of the hybrids under the climatic conditions in which they were assessed.