Multispecies Tropical Grass Pastures as a Strategy for Pasture-Based Lamb Production Systems

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The objective of this study was to evaluate forage yield, chemical composition, canopy characteristics, and lamb performance in Massai and Marandu grass pastures grown as monocultures or as a multispecies pasture under intermittent stocking. Lambs, with an initial body weight (BW) of 21.59 ± 0.12 kg, were allocated to three production systems: Massai grass monoculture, Marandu grass monoculture, and a multispecies pasture composed of both grasses. Forage production, canopy structure, chemical composition, nutritive value, animal performance, and system productivity were evaluated. At pre-grazing, the multispecies system and the Marandu monoculture had similar values for forage mass (4232.30 kg ha−1), stem mass (1355.35 kg ha−1), and dead material mass (1548.04 kg ha−1). In contrast, leaf blade mass and the leaf:stem ratio were higher in the Massai monoculture. Stocking rate was greater in the multispecies system (12.70 AU ha−1) than in the Marandu monoculture (9.22 AU ha−1); whereas, Massai monoculture (11.10 AU ha−1) did not differ from either system. Gain per area did not differ among systems, averaging 1267.10 g ha−1. The multispecies pasture composed of Massai and Marandu grasses supported a greater stocking rate than the Marandu monoculture while maintaining gain per area similar to that of the monoculture systems.

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