Abstract 408

Jerez,-I; Rodriguez,-V; Rivero,-JL

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

Cuban-Journal-of-Agricultural-Science. 1984, 18: 3, 253-260; 17 ref.

108 cows 180 days into 2nd-3rd lactation and giving daily 10-12 kg milk were in 9 groups grazed on Coast cross Bermuda grass, improved star grass or pangola grass at 3, 4 or 5 cows/ha, using paddocks of 0.5 ha in 21-day rotations. The pastures were fertilized with N at 50 kg/ha every 2 rotations and P2O5 and K2O at 45 and 60 kg/ha at the beginning and end of the rainy season. There were no significant differences among pastures or among stocking rates in av. daily 4%-fat-corrected milk yield per cow (9-9.6 kg), but the interaction between pasture and stocking rate was significant (P < 0.05). Max. av. daily yields, of 11-12, 12-13 and 10-11 kg/cow resp., were obtained with Bermuda grass stocked at 3 cows/ha, pangola grass with 4/ha and star grass with 5/ha. Availability of DM did not differ significantly among pastures, but daily DM availability/cow decreased as stocking rate increased (P < 0.001). The chemical composition of the pastures, regardless of stocking rate, was within the range reported for improved pastures.