Desempenho de vacas Girolando mantidas em pastejo de Tifton 85 irrigado ou sequeiro

The aim of this study was to determine the stocking rates and milk production of crossbred Holstein x Zebu cows managed under irrigated or rainfed Tifton 85 pastures in Uberaba- MG. The statistical design adopted was completely randomized blocks with three repetitions per treatment, in a 2 x 10 factorial arrangement (2 treatments and 10 seasons). The average was compared using the Scott-Knott test with 5% probability (P 0.05) for the average daily milk yield of the cows. In the irrigated system the average milk yield was 51.7 liters.ha-1.dia-1. With irrigation, a considerable intensification of the system was possible because it provided a superior stocking rate capacity compared to the rainfed system.