The productive systems based on Crop-Livestock Integration became a reality in the Brazilian fields and are becoming indispensable to Direct Drilling (DD) in the Cerrado, as much as from the technical point of view as the economical. However, for the DD farmer who is not very familiar with the forage species, here are a few practical tips:

• Brachiaria brizantha, unlike Brachiaria ruziziensis, tends to form clumps. This influences the choice of species for the integrated system, the type of drill discs, the methods of desiccation. Etc..

• The shorter B. ruziziensis has the advantage of not interfering with the maize harvest when these are intercropped in the Santa Fé System^[1].

• B. ruziziensis in pure stands (without ‘colonião’ - Panicum maximum - etc.) requires much less Glyphosate herbicide for drying which is reflected in the lower cost of the system.

• When mechanically harvested, B. ruziziensis seeds germinate well, while B. brizantha seeds do not and they have to be hand harvested.

• B. ruziziensis seeds germinate better than those of B. brizantha when sown by a spreader.

• With any Brachiaria sp. that is under-sown in maize, herbicide desiccation for broad-leaved weeds lessens the need to control these in subsequent soybean crops as reported by Lucas Aernoudts, the President of CAT.

• If cattle are allowed to graze the stubble, the entry of light will result in a higher germination of broad-leaved weeds.

There are many more practical details to be learnt about the brachiarias and other forage species associated with grain production under direct drilling. However, it is worthwhile to know that crop-livestock integration makes good direct drilling viable and improves the economic viability of the agro-business.