SOARES, Diogo da Costa.; PEREIRA FILHO, José Morais.; SOUZA, Dannylo Oliveira de.; SILVA, Luiza Daiana Araújo da.; OLIVEIRA, Nadjanara Sousa.; PORDEUS NETO, João.; CESAR, Marcílio Fontes.; SILVA, Aderbal Marcos de Azevedo.; SANTOS, José Rômulo Soares dos.; OLIVEIRA, Saulo Ramos de.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of sheep and goats finished in caatinga
reseeding with Buffel grass (Cechrus ciliaris L), and the impact of grazing on herbaceous vegetation.
Twenty-four animals were used, distributed in 12 goats crossbred F1 (Boer x SRD) and 12 Santa Inês sheep
with initial live body weight around 15 kg. All animals were individually identified by numbered plastic
earrings and posted on the ears. The experimental area was 2.4 ha, divided into four paddocks of 0.6 ha, two for each species. The animal performance was monitored by weighing every 14 days to reach the
slaughter weight. The response of herbaceous vegetation was measured by evaluation of the availability of
dry matter of herbaceous layer. To quantify the availability of DM (dry matter), the vegetation was separated
in buffel grass, other grasses and herbaceous forbs. There was a negative lineal effect for dry matter
disponibility in areas grazed by goats and it was verified quadratic effect for areas grazed by sheep in
function of the collection time. There was quadratic effect of collection time in the participation in all floristic
components in the area grazed by goat, happening the even for the buffel grass and for the forbs in areas
grazed by sheep.