Establishment of Urochloa brizantha cultivars intercropped with different cereal grains

Crop-livestock integration is an alternative method of rehabilitating degraded pastures. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the initial responses of morphostructural characteristics of two different Urochloa brizantha cultivars grown in monocropping or intercropping systems over two agricultural years. U. brizantha cultivars Marandu and Piata were grown as monocrops or intercropped with corn or sorghum. A randomized block experimental design with a triple factorial scheme, two additional treatments (2x2x2+2) and four replicates was used. The following factors were tested: two U. brizantha cultivars (Marandu or Piata), two intercropping combinations (with corn or sorghum), and two agricultural years (2010/2011 and 2011/2012). An additional treatment included U. brizantha cultivars grown as monocrops. The morphogenic and structural characteristics and forage gross production rates were evaluated in the different cropping systems. Intercropping with grain crops had a negative effect on the initial productivity of U. brizantha , and areas with intercropping presented higher tiller density, lower rates of leaf emergence and elongation and lower forage gross production rates relative to the monocropping systems. However, intercropping is a viable alternative to conventional monocropping systems, which was indicated by the land equivalent ratio.