Evaluation of \u3ci\u3eBrachiaria brizantha\u3c/i\u3e Ecotypes under Grazing in Small Plots

An intense search for new cultivars amongst recently collected and introduced ecotypes from Africa is in effect since 1988, at the National Beef Cattle Research Center, of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa Beef Cattle). After agronomic evaluations of a large collection, 21 ecotypes were pre-selected for multilocational trials and from these, eight were elected for evaluation under grazing. The objective of this trial was thus to evaluate the persistence and carrying capacity of these eight new Brachiaria brizantha ecotypes after two years of grazing. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with nine treatments and two replicates. The experimental area was divided into 18 paddocks of 1000 m2. They were grazed according to a deferred flexible system. After two years, it was possible to select four ecotypes, which were indicated for animal performance trials aiming at releasing at least one of them as a new cultivar in 2002