Dry matter yield, thermal sum and base temperatures in irrigated tropical forage plants

• Published in: Revista brasileira de zootecnia Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 574 - 582
• Main Authors: Silva, Edilane Aparecida da, Silva, Wilson Jesus da, Barreto, Antônio Carlos, Oliveira Junior, Antonio Barbosa de, Paes, José Mauro Valente, Ruas, José Reinaldo Mendes, Queiroz, Domingos Sávio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Zootecnia 01.03.2012
• Subjects: AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE; degree-days; relative development; seasonality; seasonality production; threshold temperature; vegetation dynamics; VETERINARY SCIENCES; relative development; seasonality production; vegetation dynamics; seasonality; degree-days; threshold temperature
• ISSN: 1516-3598; 1806-9290; 1516-3598; 1806-9290
• DOI: 10.1590/S1516-35982012000300014

The present study aimed to estimate the basal temperature and thermal sum for the following tropical forage plants: Brachiaria decumbens, cultivar Basilisk; Brachiaria brizantha, cultivar Marandu; Brachiaria brizantha, cultivar Xaraes; Panicum maximum, cultivar Mombaça; Panicum maximum, cultivar Tanzania; and Cynodon spp, cultivar Tifton 85, in ten cutting seasons, under irrigation. The climatic data were collected in an automatic weather ministration installed in the experimental area and used for irrigation management. The relative development or regression equation method was used to calculate the basal temperature. The estimated basal temperature values were 15.4; 10.5; 14.2; 13.4; 12.4 and 15.1 ºC and the demands were of 2,088.1; 3,542.5; 2,486.5; 2,838.5; 2,701.7 and 2,134.5 degree days for cultivars Basilisk, Marandu, Mombaça, Tanzania, Xaraes and Tifton 85, respectively. The relative development method revealed linearity between plant development and room temperature. Basal temperature can help elaborate climatic zoning for forage species in Brazil and allow the selection of the best suited species for each region in Brazil.