Productivity and nutritional quality of Flechinha grass ( Echinolaena inflexa ), native grass of Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Due to scarce nutritional data, this study assessed the productivity and nutritional value of Echinolaena inflexa (EI) grass, native to the Cerrado biome. It was compared to B. brizantha (BB), one of the most cultivated grasses in Brazil, during a whole year (rainy; RS and dry season; DS). Sampling was held in accordance with pasture management (entry / exit height; 50 / 5cm and 80 / 25cm for EI and BB, respectively). Dry matter production (DMP), crude protein (CP), neutral and acid detergent fiber (NDF; ADF), hemicellulose (HCEL), PB insoluble neutral and acid detergent (PIDN; PIDA), total and non-fibrous carbohydrates (TC; NFC), ether extract (EE), and mineral matter (MM), and in vitro fermentation kinetics and DM degradability (DMD) were evaluated. A completely randomized design (season as a fixed term) and average treatment compared by Tukey post test were applied. EI produced 38.5% of the DMP of BB. A higher CP (75.3; 73.5 in the RS and DS), PIDA (12.5; 8.7), PIDN (47.1; 40.1), NDF (714.4; 749.5) and ADF (396.0; 419.0) were obtained by EI in relation to BB (CP (60.3; 33.5), PIDA (6.0; 3.5), PIDN (21.4; 10.8), NDF (673.0; 675.1) and ADF (335.5; 351.4) during the RS and DS, respectively (g kg-1 DM). In vitro data were directly associated with chemical composition, resulting in lower DMD of EI compared to BB. EI showed productive similarity (DMP) during RS and DS (939.3; 809.8kg DM respectively). Although EI showed greater nutritional stability (CP) between seasons, 17% of CP was linked to ADF and therefore, not available for rumen microorganisms.