The research was conducted during the 1994/95 and 1995/96 growing seasons (Oct./Apr.), at the Estação Experimental de Ituporanga/EPAGRI - SC, with the objective to determine the potential of animal production and pasture responses as dry matter (DM) accumulation rate and quality of forage and profile structure of a pasture of `Mott' dwarf elephantgrass (MDE) under four levels of forage on offer (FO). The actual levels of FO were 3.8 7.5; 10.2 and 14.0 kg green leaf lamina DM (GLLDM) /100 kg live weight/day in a randomized complete block design with two replications and three steers (8 - 10 mo.) per pasture, under continuous grazing and put-and-take technique. The FO established average residues for GLLDM (RGLLDM) of 722, 1537, 2332 and 2542 kg/ha, respectively. Increasing FO conditioned accretion on the rate of GLLDM accumulation/ha/day and on the forage density. The FO of 11.3 kg GLLDM/100 kg LW/day (RGLLDM of 2200 kg/ha) maximized the animal performance at 1.06 kg average daily gain yield 5.6 kg of LWG/ha/day under sustainable MDE pasture conditions, on continuous grazing.
average daily gain; continuous grazing; dry matter accumulation rate; forage density; gain/ha; forage quality
