TY - JOUR AU - da Costa, L. P. R. AU - Moreira, A. L. AU - Gabriel Filho, L. R. A. AU - Souza, R. DE O. AU - Cremasco, C. P. AU - Putti, F. F. AU - Chacur, M. G. M. PY - 2014/12/08 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - ANALYSIS OF LEAF BLADE AREA AND TOTAL ILLUMINATION INDEXES OF PANICUM MAXIMUM JACQ. CV. ARIES GRASS WITH DIFFERENT NITROGEN RATES FOR SHEEP FEEDING JF - Revista Brasileira de Engenharia de Biossistemas JA - Braz J Biosyst Eng VL - 8 IS - 3 SE - Regular Section DO - 10.18011/bioeng2014v8n3p191-198 UR - https://seer.tupa.unesp.br/index.php/BIOENG/article/view/194 SP - 191-198 AB - <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Improvement of nutrition of small ruminants increases production and minimizes costs, especially during dry periods. On the other hand, investments in energy and protein foods cause high production costs. An economical alternative lies in investing in fodder production featuring quality and quantity, by lowering costs and maximizing profits of commercial farms. Current research analyzes forage of the pasture grass </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Panicum maximum Jacq</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. cv. Aries, fertilized with 200 and 400 kg of nitrogen per ha/year, and applying StudentĀ“s </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">t</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> test to compare the effects in pasture development. The best fertilization for quality forage production within the regionĀ“s climate and for sheep breeding was assessed. There were no significant differences among the different levels of nitrogen with regard to total illumination and leaf area index. Results show that the use of the least amount of fertilizer, i. e. 200 kg</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">-1</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ha</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">-1 </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">year, is economically viable, taking into account lower costs in their acquisition, transportation and application.</span></p> ER -