Resposta da vegetação lenhosa em área de caatinga submetida ao manejo silvipastoril.

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the responses of woody and herbaceous vegetation in a caatinga area submitted to silvopastoral management, with management of the number of regrowths of Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir, for production of forage and firewood. The experiment was carried out at Fazenda Lameirão, belonging to the Rural Health and Technology Center of the Federal University of Campina Grande, located in the municipality of Santa Terezinha- PB. A total area of 4.0 ha was used, divided into 4 paddocks of approximately 1 hectare each, and divided into four plots, totaling sixteen 45m x 45m plots, with 4.0m borders at the ends and between the installments. In this area, silvopastoral management was implemented in 2015, with Mimosa tenuiflora, submitted to the lowering and control of its regrowths allowing the growth of one (01) regrowth, two (02) regrowths, three (03) regrowths and witnesses, allowing the growth of all regrowths. Assessments were carried out for the Caatinga woody vegetation in the final third of the rainy season and final third of the dry season, for relative density and relative frequency. As for the management of Mimosa tenuiflora, growth evaluations were carried out on the number of remaining regrowths, trunk diameter, diameter of the largest regrowth and height of the largest regrowth, DM production per plant and per ha of Mimosa tenuiflora, and chemical composition of the remaining regrowths. Mimosa tenuiflora. During the four years of evaluation, a positive effect of silvopastoral management of woody vegetation in the caatinga was observed, providing frequency for a larger group of species in areas subjected to this management, the most responsible treatments were the control and three regrowths of Mimosa tenuiflora, which they were also favorable for the floristic diversity of the study area. The control of the number of regrowths of Mimosa tenuiflora allowed to increase the annual increase of biomass in the growth of regrowths for wood production, being the treatment with a regrowth more responsible for this result. The availability of DM was satisfactory when handling the remaining sprouts, which can be used in animal feed, with no differences in chemical composition between treatments.