Beef Cattle Production in a Silvopastoral System Beef Cattle Production in a Silvopastoral System in Brazilian Cerrado and its Environmental in Brazilian Cerrado and its Environmental

ImplicationsImplications

Rasmo GarciaUniversidade Federal de Viçosa - UFV

Viçosa, MG, Brazil<rgarcia@ufv.br>

Universidade Federal de ViçosaDepartamento de Zootecnia

CERRADO - the largest savanna region in South America and biologically the richest savanna in all the world

Introduction

• Comprises 1,916,900 square kilometers (740,100 sq miles)

• Brazilian Cerrado has more than 55% of his area disturbed (880,000 square kilometers)

204 million ha

Typical Cerrado vegetation

Introduction

• Degraded soils in Brazilian Cerrado:

Continuous inadequate use of Cerrado vegetation with massive cutting and fire

Continuous agricultural crops

Continuous poor pastures management

High demand for charcoal produced by Cerrado vegetation and eucalyptus forest

Integration of crops, pasture and trees consist in one of the best practices to

recuperate a degraded soil

Silvopastoral systems are in evidence in Brazil

Soil and Climate in Brazilian Cerrado

• Red-Yellow Latosol

• Red Latosol

• Medium texture to clayey

• Very low Ca, P, Mg

• Low K ; pH 4.5 – 5.0

• Precipitation: average 1,350 mm; Dry season: May – October

Introduction

Soybean in Cerrado area Degraded land of soybean cultivation

Introduction

Brachiaria pasture in Cerrado

49.0 million hectare of cultivated pastures supporting a herd of 40.0 million heads,

representing more than 35% of total Brazilian beef production

Pasture land in very poor condition

70% of the cultivated pasture area in fair or poor

condition

Introduction

Forest Plantation in Cerrado 1,500,000 hectares

Eucalyptus is the most common tree

Introduction

• Cultivate one or two annual crops

• On the lanes between the trees rows

• This process can reduce the establishing cost of the whole system

• Farmers are motivated to do by the expectation of the additional income

Establishing a silvopastoral system

b) second year - soybean planted in the lane where rice was harvested.

Beef Cattle Production in a Silvopastoral System

a) first year - rice planted after establishing of eucalyptus

Silvopastoral system: understory (Brachiaria brizantha) showing a green

color even in the dry season Beef cattle in a silvopastoral system

Beef Cattle Production

Bernardino et al. (2008) studied the effects of N and K fertilization on DM production of Brachiaria brizantha and the performance of beef cattle in a silvopastoral system with eucalyptus

• Nitrogen (75 kg ha-1) combined with K (100 kg ha-1) increased (P<.01)DM of the understory resulting in 170 kg (374 lb) of LWG per hectare.

• Nitrogen fertilization (75 kg ha-1) increased (P<.01) LWG an-1 day-1 to .480 kg (1.056 lb).

Garcia et al. (2008) studied three doses of N and two forage offers, 10% and 15%, of a pasture (Brachiaria) in a silvopastoral system with eucalyptus

Research Results

• 165 kg (366 lb) of LWG ha-1 year-1 • 2,100 kg (4,620 lb) of rice ha-1 • 1,800 kg (3,960 lb) of soybean ha-1

Magalhães et al. (2007) in an agrosilvopastoral system found:

IRR – 19%

Research Results

Conclusions: Fertilization and stocking rate adjustments should be considered and more researches will be necessary to establish and manage the silvopastoral system.

Comparison: LWG in a Pasture of Brachiaria Under full sun light - .550 kg an-1 day-1

Silvopastoral system - .480 kg an-1 day-1

Introduction of Forage Legumes as an Alternative to the use of Inorganic Fertilizers

a) Calopogonium mucunoides

Research Results

Silvopastoral system with tropical forage legumes

c) Stylosanthes spp., in cerrado region of Mato Grosso do Sul

b) Stylosanthes spp., in cerrado region of Minas Gerais

• Dissemination of exotic forage grasses, “brachiaria” is prejudicial to biodiversity.

Environmental Implications The main challenges in the preservation of Cerrado

Developing versus Conservation

• Extensive area of native vegetation has been substituted by annual crops, cultivated pastures and reforestation.

• Dissemination of direct planting for annual crops in Cerrado brought enormous contribution to soil conservation.

deficient soil management can result in high soil erosion 20 ton ha-1 year-1 in soybean culture contamination of water resources practicing direct planting the erosion is reduced to 3.0 ton ha-1 year-1.

• Heavy use of limestone and fertilizers contribute to pollute creeks and rivers.

• Monoculture, annual crops or forest plantation, represents a risk to biodiversity and soil conservation

Mosaic of eucalyptus plantations and native Cerrado vegetation as an ecological corridor

(Valverde, 2006)

Environmental Implications

cause great effect in reducing bird populations generally eucalyptus tree need a severe control of ants

Environmental Implications

protect the soil from wind erosion add organic matter to improve soil properties control water erosion by the reduction of rain impact on soil increase water infiltration

• Abusive use of herbicides

contamination of lakes and rivers

• Eucalyptus plantations at high densities

affects insect population tree-forage combinations and spacial arrangements provide greater diversity

and complexity than monoculture systems

• Ants control

• Presence of understory

Silvopastoral systems offer several environmental benefits:

• Potential of carbon sequestration

Final Considerations

• Soil erosion control

• Reduce the use of herbicides and insecticides that have high effect on water quality and biodiversity

• Reduction of native forest cuttings and potential for regenerate degraded pastures

• Minimization of adverse effects of climate

• Improve soil fertility

Prof. Rasmo GarciaProf. Rasmo Garcia<rgarcia@ufv.br><rgarcia@ufv.br>

Thank youThank you

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