It was aimed to study the effects of combinations between nitrogen and sulphur rates for the recovery of Signal grass (Brachiara decumbens) pasture by evaluating the nutritional value during the wet and dry seasons in an agriculture year. The experiment was carried out in a degraded pasture of Signal grass, in a randomized block design, 5 × 5 factorial with five nitrogen rates (0, 150, 300, 450 and 600 kg/ha/year) and five sulphur rates (0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 kg/ha/year), with three replications per combination. Field evaluations were carried out every 35 days during the wet season (from December, 21st 2005 to May, 10th 2006), totalizing five evaluations, and at every 56 days during the dry season (July, 05th 2006 to October, 25th 2006), with three evaluations. Plants were harvested at 10 cm height in a 0.25 m² delimeted area. Combination of nitrogen and sulphur rates changed concentrations of crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in the first evaluation of the dry season. Nitrogen is the nutrient that changed at most the nutritional values of the signal grass resulting in variations in concentrations of these nutrients and in the in vitro digestibility of dry mass. Sulphur provides significant change on in vitro digestibility of dry mass during the wet season.
Brachiaria decumbens; digestibility; fertilization; fiber; protein
