Abstract 208

Jerez,-I; Menchaca,-MA; Rivero,-JL

Inst. Ciencia Animal, Apartado 24, San Jose de las Lajas, Havana, Cuba.

Cuban-Journal-of-Agricultural-Science. 1987, 21: 2, 131-139; 18 ref.

Ninety Holstein-Friesian cows in their 2nd and 3rd lactation were used in a 3 X 3 factorial experiment to evaluate 3 tropical pastures: Coast cross 1 Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), star grass (C. nlemfuensis) and pangola grass (Digitaria decumbens) with 3 stocking rates: 3, 4 and 5 cows/ha. N, P2O5 and K2O were applied at 380, 90 and 120 kg/ha yearly, respectively, with irrigation during the dry season. The stocking rate by type-of-pasture interaction was significant for the 2 lactations studied. Liveweight losses at calving when stocking rate was increased from 3 to 5 cows/ha were 61, 3 and 27; 23, 12 and 21 kg for Bermuda grass, star grass and pangola grass in the 2 lactations, respectively, and at 305 days 52, 4 and 28; 26, 12 and 23 kg in the studied pastures. Results showed that each pasture required a different management for improved utilization.