Legume–grass intercropping systems are a sustainable option to improve nutritional quality of animal feed and decrease livestock greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, the present study evaluated yield, chemical composition and in vitro gas production of silages produced with intercropped palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha.(A.Rich.) R.D.Webster), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan cv. Super N) and corn (Zea mays. L.). Forage was harvested and placed inside micro-silos, which were opened after 100 days and samples were collected for chemical composition and in vitro gas production analyses. Intercropped silage had higher crude protein, acid detergent fiber, and lignin content than corn silage. Moreover, intercropped silage decreased total gas and methane production. Therefore, intercropped silage showed potential to increase conserved feed nutritional quality and reduce methane emissions in livestock production systems.

This study aimed to assess the impact of intercropping pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan cv. Super N) with maize (Zea mays cv. AG 5055) and Paiaguás palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha cv. BRS Paiaguás) on grain yield, silage chemical composition, and post-harvest grazing forage. The experiment was conducted on the School Farm of Instituto Federal Goiano, Campus Iporá. The experiment treatments consisted of three cropping systems: pigeon pea and Paiaguás palisadegrass intercropping (PPPG), maize and Paiaguás palisadegrass intercropping (CPG), and maize, pigeon pea, and Paiaguás palisadegrass intercropping (CPPPG), respectively. It was observed after the fermentation process that the PPPG silage promoted the lowest values of forage mass (FM) and a reduction in the dry matter (DM) concentration. The PPPG silage showed higher values of crude protein (75.28 g kg⁻¹ DM), while the CPPPG silage showed proportionately higher values of total digestible nutrients (616.11 g kg⁻¹ DM). The intercropping did not affect the corn grain productivity, thus obtaining an average value of 4.78 Mg ha^-1. After the silage harvest, during the dry season, a similar forage availability was obtained between the treatments (3.73 Mg ha⁻¹). All three cultivation strategies produced abundant forage for grazing, showing that integrated intercropping systems can mitigate the seasonality in tropical forage production.

Background: The recovery process of degraded areas with the implantation of orchards of native species is still little known. Thus, we intend to evaluate the physiological performance of Hancornia speciosa during different seasons of the year, cultivated in full sun and in intercropping for recovery of degraded areas. Methods: Intercropping with Syagrus oleracea (double intercropping); with annual crops (double intercropping); and with S. oleracea and annual crops (triple intercropping) were completed over two years at the beginning of each season. Crops (experimental plots) were planted using a Nelder wheel design. Results: Over the two years, H. speciosa was observed to experience seasonal regulatory changes, some of which were mitigated by the intercropping. The cultivation arrangement influenced the physiology and consequently the growth of H. speciosa . Conclusions: It is concluded that the double intercropping benefits the growth of H. speciosa during the formation of the orchard, and the triple intercropping does not affect growth in relation to full sun. It is recommended the implantation of orchards of H. speciosa in recovery areas through intercropping.

Feed sorting is a natural behavior of cattle that can result in inconsistencies in the nutritive value of the diet. Twenty-four non-castrated F1 Red Norte × Nelore males with an average initial body weight of 439.8 ± 59.6 kg and 21.7± 2.7 months of age were distributed in three experimental groups, and housed either in individual (12 animals) or collective pens (12 animals in three collective pens) at the Cattle Research and Education Center of the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Goiano (Campus Iporá). The experiment lasted 84 days (14 days of adaptation and 70 days for data collection). Animals were fed diets containing sugar cane in natura (CI), sugar cane silage (SC) or corn silage (CS) as sources of forage. Feed sorting was determined every 14 days at 4, 10, and 24 hours post-feeding using a three-screen and a bottom pan (Penn State Particle Separator) to yield long (>19 mm), medium (8 mm), short (1.18 mm) and fine (0.05) of source of forage on feed sorting for long, medium, and short particles. CS increased (P0.05) of type of housing on feed sorting. The sources of forage evaluated in this study resulted in preferential consumption for long and medium particles, which may be beneficial for rumen health.