This study aimed to determine the best combination for recovery pasture Urochloa decumbens cv. Basilisk using seven treatments which consisted of braquiaria grass without intervention (without correction of soil and fertilizer), the braquiaria grass fertilized with phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) without nitrogen (N) , the braquiaria grass fertilized with P, K and N, and consortia with: Arachis pintoi + Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande; Stylosanthes cv. Campo Grande; Calopogonium mucunoides + Neonotonia wightii and N. wightii. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replications. Six cuts by treatment were performed to verify the biomass accumulation, morphological composition and analysis of crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and acid, lignin and in vitro digestibility. The liming and fertilization with P and K provided forage accumulation significantly higher of the braquiaria grass without intervention. However, the highest accumulation was obtained in consortia with mixture of forage legumes, which did not differ from braquiaria grass fertilized with N, demonstrating the feasibility of using the largest consortia with more than one species of legume. The leaves of U. decumbens showed, in general, better nutritional value when intercropped with legumes. The use of herbaceous legumes in pasture recovery braquiaria grass degraded without the use of nitrogen fertilizers is not only viable, it favors the accumulation of forage and quality of the grass, especially the mixture of legumes. Nitrogen fertilization increases the productivity of the grass, but provides a lower leaf / stem ratio and its components have a low fiber digestibility of forage.
chemical composition; degradation; digestibility; legume intercrop; sustainability