YIELD OF CAYMAN GRASS (Urochloa) WITH CHEMICAL AND ORGANIC FERTILIZATION

Abstract

Forages are the basis of cattle feeding in dual-purpose systems in the dry tropics of the Costa Chica region of Guerrero State. The objective of the study was to determine the productive response of Cayman grass to three types of organic and chemical fertilization in the Costa Chica of Guerrero, under rainfed conditions. Harvests were carried out at intervals of 14 days, starting 20 days after the uniformization cut, which was ten centimeters high. In each harvest the average height of 10 plants, the accumulation of dry matter and the morphological composition were registered. The sampling unit was a square of 0.45 m2. The data registered for each measurement were analyzed with the SAS MIXED procedure (Version 9.0 for Windows) for an experimental design in randomized complete blocks, in an arrangement of repeated measures over time. In the dry matter yield of forage per hectare, the four treatments evaluated were the same in all cutting dates except for date three (Tukey, P ≤ 0.05). For plant height, it was found that the chemical treatment was superior to the organic treatments in the fourth and fifth sampling (Tukey, P ≤ 0.05); however, at the last cut-off date they were equal (Tukey, P ≤ 0.05). In the morphological composition, the highest accumulation of the leaf of the chemical treatment was found when sampling at 50 days; while, for the organic treatments it was found at 65 days. The optimal cutting date for Cayman grass with chemical fertilization is 50 DDC and for organic treatments between 50 and 65 DDC.