ABSTRACT. The objective of this study was to evaluate dry mass production, fermentative parameters and chemical and bromatological composition of sunflower silage and Paiaguas palisadegrass silage in monocropped and intercropping in different forage systems. The experimental design consisted of randomized blocks, with four replicates. The treatments consisted of silage forage systems: sunflower monocropped; Paiaguas palisadegrass monocropped; sunflower row-intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass; sunflower inter-row intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass; and sunflower oversown and intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass, totalizing 20 experimental silos. Sunflower and Paiaguas palisadegrass were harvested at 110 days after planting at 20 cm from the soil for silage, using brush cutter. The silos were opened after 53 days of fermentation. The rows and inter-row intercropped systems contributed to increase the mass production of the ensiled material. The monocropped sunflower silage had higher values of pH, ethereal extract and acid detergent fiber and lower values of titratable acidity and dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and in vitro dry matter digestibility values. The silages of the sunflower intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass in forage systems of crop-livestock integration presented better fermentative and bromatological characteristics, guaranteeing an adequate fermentative process and nutritional quality. In this way, the intercropping of these two forages potentiates the production of silage for feeding of ruminants during the period of forage shortage.

ABSTRACT. Paiaguas palisadegrass was released in order to meet the requirements of the different production systems. However, little is known about the quality of the forage. The goal of this study was to evaluate the protein and carbohydrate fractionation of the Paiaguas palisadegrass after intercropping with grain sorghum in the pasture recovery, through the integration of crop and livestock production. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Rio Verde, State of Goias. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications. The treatments were composed of the following forage systems: Paiaguas palisadegrass in monocropped, sorghum intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass in the row, sorghum intercropped with Paiaguas palisadegrass in the interrow, and sorghum intercropped with oversown Paiaguas palisadegrass. The evaluations were carried out in the four climatic seasons of the year (winter, spring, summer, and fall) in the same plots, over a period of one year, in 16 paddocks under continuous stocking system. The results showed that forage systems did not influence protein and carbohydrate fractionation. The winter season presented higher values of protein and carbohydrate fractionation, negatively affecting the animal performance.

RESUMOO uso inadequado de fertilizantes tem sido uma preocupação crescente, em relação à sustentabilidade agrícola e ambiental. Uma das alternativas para reduzir o impacto de fertilizantes químicos é o uso de inoculantes contendo bactérias fixadoras de nitrogênio e promotoras de crescimento vegetal. Objetivou-se avaliar os efeitos de um inoculante à base de Azospirillum brasilense sobre as características de crescimento e produtividade do milho de segunda safra. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, com três repetições, em esquema fatorial 3 × 5. Os tratamentos incluíram três níveis de inoculação (controle sem inoculante, inoculação na semente e aplicação foliar do inoculante no estágio V4) e cinco doses de adubação nitrogenada em cobertura (0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 % e 100 %, sendo a dose de 100 % correspondente a 50 kg ha-1 de N na forma de ureia). Os tratamentos que receberam inoculante apresentaram maior crescimento em altura (9,5 % e 16 %), biomassa seca do colmo (49 % e 6,75 %) e biomassa seca da raiz (123 % e 97 %), respectivamente para inoculante na semente e pulverizado, bem como incremento no tamanho da espiga (8 %), teor de clorofila (4 %), massa de 1.000 grãos (12 %) e produção de grãos (29 %), em comparação às plantas não inoculadas. Os efeitos das doses de N foram significativos apenaspara massa de 1.000 grãose produtividade de grãos (kg ha-1), verificando-se que a inoculação na semente proporcionou maior produtividade no milho de segunda safra.

ABSTRACTThe misuse of fertilizers has become a growing concern in terms of agricultural and environmental sustainability. One alternative to reduce the impact of chemical fertilizers is the use of inoculants containing nitrogen-fixing and plant growth promoting bacteria. This study aimed at evaluating the effects of an inoculant with Azospirillum brasilense on the growth and yield of secondharvest maize. The experimental design was randomized blocks with three replications, in a 3 × 5 factorial scheme. The treatments consisted of three inoculation methods (control without inoculation, seed inoculation and leaf-sprayed inoculation at the V4 stage) and five cover N-fertilization doses (0 %, 25 %, 50 %, 75 % and 100 %, with the 100 % dose corresponding to 50 kg ha-1 of N as urea). Inoculated plants showed a greater growth for height (9.5 % and 16 %), stem dry biomass (49 % and 6.75 %) and root dry biomass (123 % and 97 %), respectively for seed inoculation and spraying, as well as increases in ear size (8 %), chlorophyll content (4 %), 1,000-grain weight (12 %) and grain yield (29 %), when compared to non-inoculated plants. The effects of N doses were only significant for 1,000-grain weight and grain yield (kg ha-1), with seed inoculation providing a higher yield for second-harvest maize.