Pasture as an exclusive feeding source accounts for almost 90% of the beef consumed in Brazil and for most of the nearly 35 billion liters of milk produced annually in the country. It is estimated today that, in Brazil, grasses of the genus Brachiaria are cultivated in approximately 84 million hectares. In Brazil, the most cultivated species of Brachiaria are B. decumbens, B. brizantha, B. humidicola and B. ruziziensis. With the increasing agricult ...

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

Pastures assume a prominent position in the Brazilian agricultural scenario, covering about three quarters of the cultivated area nationwide. In addition to the physical aspect, pastures are the main feeding source for the Brazilian herd. Pastures account for almost 90% of the beef consumed in Brazil and for most of the 21 billion liters of milk produced annually in the country. It is estimated today that in Brazil grasses of the genus Brachiaria are cultivated in approximately 84 millio

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

In Brazil, milk production is practiced by more than one million farmers, mostly smallholders, who have in pastures and swards for green chop the most important sources for cattle feeding. Dairy agribusiness plays a significant role in food supply for the domestic market, in the generation of jobs and income for the population and in recent years has also become increasingly important in the Country’s export line. The intensification of animal production systems demands the use of forage species

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2016

The dairy activity in Brazil has undergone extensive changes. If, on the one hand, the industry tends more and more to value items associated with the quality of milk, such as fat, protein, total milk solids, etc., the prices paid or the incentives applied are arbitrary or defined based upon the financial return arising from one unit of the product. On the other hand, the dairy farmer does not know if the received incentive value, when it exists, is interesting from the point of view of returnin

Status: Completed     Start date: Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2008

One of the largest livestock problems in Southern Brazil has been the scantiness of varieties of forage species more adapted to this region. In addition, due to global warming and the demand for increased productivity with reduced use of inputs, there is a need of studies on germplasm tolerance to abiotic stresses such as drought, and the evaluation of symbiotic organisms to promote biological nitrogen fixation in grasses. Thus, this project aimed to develop improved populations of some of the m

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2012

The growing demand for a sustainable energy matrix and the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels make the energy obtained from biomass a prominent option. The major uses of biomass as energetic input are the production of thermal energy (direct combustion, charcoal and residues), production of mechanic energy (alcohol and bio-oils), production of electricity (through combustion, gasification or gas burning), and production of other components of the so called green chemistry (bioproducts and

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2014

Heat along with high humidity is one of the causes of impaired milk production and fertility of cattle, especially in the summer or in tropical and semitropical regions. Such problems can be aggravated with the prospect of global warming. In the hottest regions of Brazil there is a preference for crossbred Holstein (H) X zebu (Z), mainly Gir (G) cattle that form the Girolando synthetic breed whose composition is mainly ⅝ GxH. Girolando animals are more tolerant to heat than breeds of European or

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2015

The productivity indices of dairy farming in Brazil are low when compared to countries with technologically advanced dairy farming. Productivity can be significantly improved through the use of animals with higher genetic value for milk production and appropriate management techniques. Worldwide, the Holstein breed is predominant for milk production, being also the most used in Brazil, both as a pure breed and in crosses, as a contribution to the development of the Girolando breed. In this proje

Status: Completed     Start date: Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2007

Most stargrass and bermudagrass species grown in Brazil were developed and evaluated in the United States. The cultivars grown in Brazil were not developed for Brazilian environmental conditions and there are no official records showing the introduction of the species in Brazil, thus this happened possibly due to the curiosity of some cattle farmers. The aim of the project was the development of stargrass and bermudagrass clones adapted to soil and climatic conditions of Minas Gerais State, Braz

Status: Completed     Start date: Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2014

Among the existing grass as alternatives to pasture-based production, the genus Cynodon (stargrass and bermudagrass) has advantages such as high productivity and forage quality, responsiveness to fertilization, resistance to cattle trampling, adaptability to a wide range of soil and climate conditions, and good tolerance to waterlogging and low temperatures. These factors distinguish Cynodon from other grasses predominant in tropical conditions and justify considering such specie

Status: Completed     Start date: Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 GMT-03:00 2013