This study aimed to evaluate the chemical and anatomical attributes of leaves of giant missionary grass to application of 0, 62, 124, 186, 248 and 310m³ ha-1 of pig slurry. At 83 days after the last application of fertilizer, the leaf blades were collected, fixed in FAA 70%, sectioned, stained, photographed and digitalized. The transversal section of leaf blades were evaluated for proportion of epidermis, lignified vascular tissue + sclerenchyma, non-lignified vascular tissue and parenchyma with an image-processing system calibrated to 1mm pixel-1. Leaf samples were analyzed for crude protein, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber and hemicellulose content by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. The pig slurry application up to 310m³ ha-1 significantly increased the percentage of crude protein, parenchyma, epidermis, non-lignified vascular tissue and hemicellulose, while decreasing the percentage of acid detergent fiber and lignified vascular tissue + sclerenchyma. The Pearson's correlation was positive between crude protein and non-lignified vascular tissue, and between acid detergent fiber and lignified vascular tissue + sclerenchyma. The percentage of hemicellulose was positively correlated with epidermis, parenchyma and non-lignified vascular tissue. A negative correlation between acid detergent fiber and epidermis, parenchyma and non-lignified vascular tissue was observed.
crude protein; epidermis; fiber; lignified vascular tissue + sclerenchyma; parenchyma
