MEDIDAS QUALITATIVAS DE CULTIVARES DE Panicum maximum JACQ. SUBMETIDOS A ADUBAÇÃO NITROGENADA

Abstract

This experiment was carried out in the greenhouse of the Departament of Animal Production/ UFRPE, from november of 2002 to may of 2003. The work objective was to evaluate the chemical composition of different Panicum maximum Jacq. cultivars submitted to different levels of nitrogen fertilization. It was used a complete randomized experimental design and the treatments were represented by the factorial arragement of the cultivars Massai, Atlas and Tobiatã and the nitrogen fertilization (0, 80, 160 and 320 kg of N.ha-1.year-1), with four replications. The plants were cut 60 days after-seeding for uniformization and three cuts were carried out with intervals of 35 days and intensity of 10 cm. It was determined concentration of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Massai presented lesser crude CP (12,7%) and greater NDF concentration (60,8%) than the other cultivars. There was significant effect of the nitrogen fertilization for the CP and NDF. The increase in the nitrogen level raised the CP concentration and reduced the FDN concentration of the studied plants. The Atlas may be considered the cultivar that presented the best chemical composition because its satisfactory CP concentration (15,3%) associate to the lesser NDF concentration (58,8%).