Abstract 509

Laredo-C,-MA

Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario, Tibaitata, Colombia.

Revista-del-Instituto-ColombianoAgropecuario. 1981, 16: 3, 123-131; 22 ref.

B. decumbens pasture established in April 1977 was grazed continuously by 24 cattle weighing c. 350 kg at a stocking rate of 2.4 animals/ha from Aug. 1978 to Oct. 1979. CP content and in vitro DM digestibility was slightly higher in samples taken in the dry season (6.03 and 61.2%) than the wet season (5.53 and 60.3%, resp.). There was a difference in cell wall constituents between seasons but the lignin fraction was particularly high in the dry season (8.7%) compared with the wet season (6.7%). Daily liveweight gain increased more in the wet season (410 g) than the dry (380 g) and could be regulated by changing the stocking rate.