Selecting New \u3ci\u3eBrachiaria\u3c/i\u3e for Brazilian Pastures

Brazilian beef production relies heavily on cultivated pastures, of which about 80% are planted mainly to two Brachiaria cultivars. The narrowness of diversity associated with reproduction by apomixis of most plants in this genus prompted an intense search for new cultivars amongst recently collected and introduced ecotypes from Africa. This paper reports results for a three-year evaluation of 21 pre-selected ecotypes in two typical Cerrado ecosystems. Plots, replicated four times, were seeded in rows and cut every 6 weeks during the rainy season followed by a cut in the middle and one at the end of the dry season. Significant differences were found between ecotypes, seasons and years for total, leaf or leaf + stem dry matter production, percentage of leaves, leaf: stem ratio and regrowth rate. Ecotypes differed in the two ecosystems for percentage of leaves, leaf: stem ratio and regrowth. Superior ecotypes (BRA004308, 003361, 002844, 003204, 003441) could be identified and were equally advantageous in both ecosystems