The objective of this work was to evaluate grazing efficiency, herbage disappearance and spatial variability of the sward in Marandu palisadegrass pastures rotationally stocked by yearling Nelore heifers at four levels of herbage allowance, in Pirassununga, SP, Brazil. The experimental treatments were 5, 10, 15, and 20 kg dry matter per 100 kg live weight per day (%), in a randomised blocks design. Herbage disappearance rate increased with rising herbage allowance, and wide-ranging from 2.3 to 6.5 kg DM per 100 kg LW per day in 2003, and from 2.3 to 6.2 kg DM per 100 kg PV per day in 2004. Conversely, herbage disappearance per area differed among treatments only in 2004, and was highest at 20% of herbage allowance (44 kg ha-1 per day). Grazing efficiency decreased with rising herbage allowance, averaged 64% in 2003 and 55% in 2004 for 5% of herbage allowance. The increasing herbage allowance shows as consequence the increase herbage disappearance rate and an exponentially decrease of grazing efficiency.
Brachiaria brizantha; forage disappearance; rotational stocking; forage losses; forage accumulation; spatial variability
