Intercropping of sunflower with Brachiaria brizantha cultivars during two sowing seasons in the interim harvest

Intercropping of annual crops with tropical forages is an effective cultivation method to maximize grain production and pasture formation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic characteristics of sunflower and the productive and nutritional characteristics of Brachiaria brizantha cultivars grown with intercropping during two different sowing seasons in the interim harvest of the Center-West region of Brazil. The experiment was conducted in the municipality of Rio Verde, Goiás (GO), using a randomized block design with a 3x2+4 factorial scheme and three replicates per treatment. The following factors were tested: three Brachiaria brizantha cultivars (Marandu palisadegrass, Piata palisadegrass and Xaraes palisadegrass) grown with intercropping in the inter-row with the sunflower cultivar Charrua in two different sowing seasons (February and March); four additional treatments of sunflower; and the three tested Brachiaria brizantha cultivars grown in monoculture. Intercropping of sunflower with the Xaraes palisadegrass cultivar negatively affected the agronomic characteristics of sunflower, and intercropping with Marandu palisadegrass and Piata palisadegrass cultivars is recommended. Preference should be given to the Xaraes palisadegrass cultivar for forage production and to the Piata palisadegrass cultivar for the production of forage with higher nutritional value. Sowing in March led to the best sunflower agronomic characteristics, without affecting the productive and nutritional characteristics of the forages. Intercropping of sunflower with Brachiaria brizantha cultivars is therefore a promising cultivation method for the production of achenes and forage during the inter-harvest in the Center-West region of Brazil