BrachiariaHistoryAgronomic performanceFuture perspectives

HistoryAgronomic performanceFuture perspectives

Brachiaria

Brazil

The introduction goes back more than 500 years ago

...Brazil

When B. mutica camewith African slaves

1972 – 1984 Less than 70 accessions were available

...Brazil

1985 – 1987A large collecting effort wasmade by CIAT in collaborationwith international and nationalinstitutions of six East Africancountries

...Brazil

Today, more than 150 million hectares are covered with sownpastures, when more than60 % are Brachiaria species

...Brazil

...Tropical worldSimilar pattern of evolutionis registered in mostcountries

With the recent liberation in Costa Rica of B. brizanthaCIAT 26110 as cv. Toledo and cv. Victoria in Brazil

Brachiaria

Agronomicperformance

Agronomic evaluation of the Brachiaria collection in Brazil

Leaf DM t ha -1

0.5 – 2 2 – 3 B. ruziziensis0.5 – 2 2 – 4B. humidicola1 – 51 – 6B. decumbens

2 – 10 2 – 9B. brizantha

CERRADOCNPGCSpecies

Brachiaria in Central America

45 – 7760Stem IVDMD %

4 – 127.5Stem CP %54 – 8068Leaf IVDMD %

Range

0 – 400100Rooted nodes m2

9 – 2014Leaf CP %0.4 – 51.1:1Leaf:Stem ratio0.2 – 63DMY t ha-1

MeanAttributes

B. dictyoneura: Milk production

2310 aC. macrocarpum179.5 aC. acutifolium

8 bB. dictyoneura

Increase%kg.cow.d –1Associated

legume

Adapted from Lascano and Avila, 1991

Milk production grazing Brachiaria

Trial 2Trial 1

6.5 b6.3 bB. brizanthacv. Toledo

8.1 a-B. hybrid cv. Mulato

-6.7 abB. brizanthacv. Marandú

7.6 a7.0 aB. decumbenscv. Basilisk

Milk yield, kg.cow.d -1Grass

Adapted from: Avila, Miles and Lascano, 2000

0B. dictyoneura9B. brizantha

16P. maximum18B. decumbens50A. gayanus

Replanting, %Grasses

Brachiaria success

Good recovery from antsFire tolerance

Good seed yieldStockpiled alternativesRecovery through soil seed-bankPlasticity in the management

Main reasons appointed by farmers

Brachiaria success

Plant yield components at 60 days regrowth in the dry season

202Green stem269Green leaf5489Dead material

B. brizanthaCIAT 16488

A. gayanusPlant

components, %

BrachiariaHistoryAgronomic performanceFuture perspectives

Future perspectivesThe superior performanceof the first Brachiaria hybridthat reaches cultivar status, is a major accomplishmentof CIAT’s breeding program