Effect of nitrogen fertilization and cutting height on Tanzania guinea grass

Abstract

The aim of this work was the evaluation of production and quality of  Panicum maximum  Jacq. cv. Tanzania as a function of height of cut and nitrogen feeding. The experiment was installed in vase inside greenhouse, in Presidente Prudente-SP, during the period of april to october 2007. The design was random blocks with ten treatments arranged in a factorial scheme of five nitrogen doses (0, 20, 40, 80 e 160 kg ha-1) and two cutting height (20 e 40 cm). The nitrogen was applied per crop cycle. The first was made at 45 days after emergence when they were harvested for leveling, and the other two applications were made shortly after the first and second cut, with the interval between cycles of 35 days, used urea. With the cutting height of Panicum maximum at 20 cm soil were the highest yields of dry matter in the three cycles of crops. The highest
dry matter yield cut at 20 cm were obtained with intermediate doses of N, different from plants cut to 40 cm, where the maximum yields of dry matter were achieved at the highest N rate applied in all cutting cycles. The largest of Panicum maximum  tillering
and higher responses to nitrogen fertilization on the production of tillers occurred in the first cycle, regardless of cutting height. The crude protein content was influenced by nitrogen levels in the first cycle and the cutting height to 20 cm, reaching a maximum
level of crude protein (12.5%) with application of 80 kg ha
-1 N.