ABSTRACT This paper aims to discuss the impact of the introduction of pastures and grazing animals in agricultural systems. For the purposes of this manuscript, we focus on within-farm integrated crop-livestock systems (ICLS), typical of Southern Brazil. These ICLS are designed to create and enhance the synergisms and emergent properties have arisen from agricultural areas where livestock activities are integrated with crops. We show that the introduction of the crop component will affect less the preceding condition than the introduction of the livestock component. While the introduction of crops in pastoral systems represents increasing diversity of the plant component, the introduction of animals would represent the entry of new flows and interactions within the system. Thus, given the new complexity levels achieved from the introduction of grazing, the probability of arising emergent properties is theoretically much higher. However, grazing management is vital in determining the success or failure of such initiative. The grazing intensity practiced during the pasture phase would affect the canopy structure and the forage availability to animals. In adequate and moderate grazing intensities, it is possible to affirm that livestock combined with crops (ICLS) has a potential positive impact. As important as the improvements that grazing animals can generate to the soil-plant components, the economic resilience remarkably increases when pasture rotations are introduced compared with purely agriculture systems, particularly in climate-risk situations. Thus, the integration of the pastoral component can enhance the sustainable intensification of food production, but it modifies simple, pure agricultural systems into more complex and knowledge-demanding production systems.

RESUMO Busca-se nos Sistemas Integrados de Produção Agropecuária (SIPA) maior ciclagem do nitrogênio (N). Este trabalho objetivou avaliar a adubação antecipada em azevém pastejado por ovinos no índice de nutrição nitrogenada (INN) das culturas de verão em SIPA. O estudo foi realizado em um protocolo de longa duração manejado, no período de inverno, sob dois métodos de pastoreio, contínuo e rotativo, e duas intensidades de pastejo, moderada e baixa, com quatro repetições. No verão, a área foi subdividida em dois sistemas de cultivos, soja e rotação soja/milho. A fertilização foi feita na fase pastagem, com 75 kg de N e 60 kg de P2O5 e K2O ha-1. Avaliaram-se a massa de forragem residual (MFR) da pastagem e o rendimento, o teor de N e o INN da fitomassa das culturas de verão. No milho, houve efeito das intensidades de pastejo para INN, ao contrário da soja. Não houve efeito dos métodos de pastoreio. A MFR é importante fonte de N para a cultura de verão subsequente. Menores intensidades de pastejo geraram maiores MFR e INN para a cultura do milho. A adubação antecipada não influenciou a soja, pois essa atende parte da sua demanda por N pela fixação biológica.

ABSTRACT Greater nitrogen (N) cycling is sought through Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems (ICLS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of early fertilization of nitrogen applied to ryegrass grazed by sheep on the nitrogen nutrition index (NNI) of summer crops in ICLS. This study was carried out in a long-term protocol managed in the winter under two stocking methods, continuous and rotational, and two grazing intensities, moderate and low, with four replications. In summer, the area was divided into two cropping systems - soybean monoculture and a soybean/maize rotation. Fertilization was carried out in the pasture phase with 75 kg N and 60 kg P2O5 and K2O ha-1. Residual forage mass (RFM) of pasture, and phytomass yield, N content, and NNI of the summer crops were evaluated. An effect of grazing intensities was found on the maize NNI, but not on soybean. There was no effect from grazing methods. The RFM is an important source of N for the subsequent summer crop. Lower grazing intensities generate higher RFM and NNI for maize. Early fertilization did not affect soybean, because it meets part of its N demand by biological nitrogen fixation.

The successful achievement of a highly productive understorey pasture in silvopastoral systems depends on the use of well-adapted forage genotypes, showing good agronomic performance and persistence under shading and grazing. In this study, the herbage dry matter yield (DMY) and nitrogen nutrition dynamics were determined in three native warm-season grasses (Paspalum regnellii, Paspalum dilatatum and Paspalum notatum) and a forage legume (Arachis pintoi) under two shading levels compared with full sun. The experiment was conducted in the Campanha region, Bagé, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, during two evaluation cycles (2008/2009 and 2009/2010). Three shade cloth levels (0%, 50% and 80% of light restriction) were applied to the forage genotypes in a split plot design, in which shading levels were the main plot and forage genotypes were the subplots, with three replications. P. regnellii showed the highest accumulated DMY (1500 and 1700 g m-2, respectively, for the first and second evaluation cycles) at all shading levels and showed no DMY decreased under the heavy shade (80%). Average DMY over the four genotypes under the 50% shade level was higher or equal compared with full sun. Influence of rainfall was observed on the DMY performance of all genotypes: the positive effect of moderate shading (50%) on P. dilatatum and P. notatum DMY was associated to a low soil water availability status. Increased shading level resulted in high nitrogen nutrition index values on grasses, in comparison with full sun. All genotypes performed well under the moderate shading level, but the DMY of both P. regnellii and P. dilatatum and the herbage N content in P. notatum and A. pintoi of all genotypes stood out, showing that those main genotypes are promising to grow in silvopastoral systems at the Campanha region in southern Brazil.

Avaliou-se o efeito do sombreamento provocado por duas densidades arbóreas em uma floresta de Pinus elliottii Engelm. com 10 anos de idade sobre o rendimento e o valor nutritivo da forragem de três gramíneas de ciclo hibernal. Como tratamentos, avaliou-se a combinação de dois fatores (3 x 3) em um delineamento experimental de parcelas subdivididas com três repetições, no qual as parcelas foram as condições luminosas (proporcionadas por duas densidades arbóreas: 555 e 333 árvores/ha e luz solar plena) e as subparcelas as espécies forrageiras azevém-anual (Lolium multiflorum Lam.); aveia-preta (Avena strigosa Schreb.); e aveia-branca (A. sativa L.) cv. Fapa 2. A semeadura foi realizada entre 25/7/2005 e 5/8/2005 e entre 26 e 27/4/2006. O rendimento de matéria seca foi estimado em avaliações durante o estádio vegetativo (aos 104 dias após a semeadura em 2006) e em pleno florescimento (aos 132 e 170 dias, em 2005 e 2006, respectivamente). O valor nutritivo da forragem foi avaliado considerando os teores médios de proteína bruta (PB) e a digestibilidade in vitro da matéria orgânica (DIVMO). O sombreamento moderado reduziu em 57% o rendimento médio de forragem dos três genótipos avaliados, mas aumentou em 2,3% o teor de proteína bruta (PB) e em 5,5% a digestibilidade in vitro (DIVMO) quando as plantas estavam em florescimento pleno. Entre as espécies forrageiras avaliadas, a aveia-branca e a aveia-preta apresentam maior potencial para utilização em sistemas silvipastoris na Região Sul.

It was evaluated the shading effect induced by two tree densities of a ten-year-old slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) forest, and at full sun, on forage dry matter yield and nutritive value of three cool-season annual grasses. Treatments were a combination of two main factors: a) three light conditions induced by two tree densities (333 e 555 stems/ha) and at full sun; b) three cool-season annual forage grasses: Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), common oat (Avena sativa L.) cv. Fapa-2, and black-oat (Avena strigosa Schreb.). A split-plot experimental design, with three replications, was used. The main plots were the light conditions affected by tree density and the subplots were the different forage species. Sowing dates were from July 25 to August 5, 2005 and April 26 and 27, 2006. In order to determine forage DM yield, plants were hand-clipped at the vegetative stage (104 days after sowing, in 2006) and at full bloom (132 and 170 days, in 2005 e 2006, respectively). Forage nutritive value was accessed by determining crude protein (CP) concentration and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). Results showed that when plants were at the full bloom stage and under moderate shading, forage DM yield was reduced by 57%, forage CP content was increased by 2,3%, and IVOMD was raised by 5,5%, compared to plants at full sun. In terms of their potential utilization, common oat and black-oat show promise for regional silvopastoral systems in southern Brazil.

A regeneração de plantas in vitro é uma limitação encontrada na maioria dos cereais. Uma forma de minimizar essa dificuldade tem sido a busca de fontes alternativas de tecidos com habilidade para esse fim. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar o potencial e o período necessário para regeneração de plantas in vitro de genótipos brasileiros de aveia (Avena sativa L.) a partir de segmentos da base da folha. Segmentos de 1-2mm retirados do coleóptilo de genótipos de aveia foram cultivados por 21 dias em meio MS (MURASHIGE & SKOOG, 1962) suplementado com 2,0mg L-1 de 2,4-D (ácido 2,4-diclorofenoxiacético) e, posteriormente, transferidos para meio de regeneração de plantas. Não foi encontrada variabilidade entre os genótipos quanto à capacidade de induzir calos embriogênicos e regenerar plantas a partir de segmentos da base da folha, tendo sido possível regenerar genótipos de aveia antes considerados sem habilidade para o cultivo in vitro. O uso desse explante possibilitou reduzir o tempo de regeneração de plantas de aveia para cinco meses e a não correlação entre a percentagem de embriogênese somática e regeneração de plantas indica que a embriogênese não é o único caminho de regeneração a partir desse explante.

The ability for in vitro plant regeneration is limited in most of the cereal crops. One way to minimize this problem has been to search for alternative sources of tissues with the ability for in vitro cultivation. This report aims at the investigation of the potential and the amount of time necessary for in vitro plant regeneration of Brazilian oat (Avena sativa L.) genotypes from leaf base segments. One to two millimeter coleoptile segments of oat genotypes were cultivated for 21 days on MS medium (MURASHIGE & SKOOG, 1962) plus 2,0mg L-1 de 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), and transferred to plant regeneration media. Variability among genotypes for somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration from leaf base segments was not found, but it was possible to regenerate oat genotypes previously considered recalcitrants for in vitro regeneration. Besides that, it was possible to reduce to 5 months the plant regeneration period with this explant. The non-significant correlation between the percentage of somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration indicates that the embryogenesis is not the only way for plant regeneration from this explant.