Animal Science and Zoology, Agricultural and Biological Sciences, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Plant Science
5
Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Annual Grass Silage: A Productive and Cost-Effective Strategy for Ruminant Nutrition Felipe Pontes Teixeira das Chagas, Ana Beatriz Graciano da Costa, Stela Antas Urbano, Juliana Caroline Santos Santana, Anne Carolinne Rodrigues Linhares da Silva, Patrick Bezerra Fernandes, Kyvia Pontes Teixeira das Chagas, Flávio Pereira da Mota Silveira, João Virgínio Emerenciano Neto Advances in Agriculture, 2026 This study was conducted to evaluate the agronomic performance, fermentation characteristics, cost analysis, and financial returns of silage produced from annual forage crops. The experiment followed a randomized block design with four treatments: BRS Potiguar maize, BRS Cruzeta maize, BRS Ponta Negra sorghum, and BRS 1501 pearl millet, under drip irrigation, with five replicates per treatment. Productive traits, chemical composition of crops and silages, fermentation characteristics, and economic viability were assessed. Maize and sorghum crops showed the highest forage mass (FM), with an average of 47.23 t ha −1 . The highest crude protein (CP) contents were found in the silages of maize (Potiguar and Cruzeta) and pearl millet, with an average of 9.24%. The levels of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), hemicellulose, and total carbohydrates in maize (Potiguar and Cruzeta) and sorghum silages were similar, averaging 60.45%, 23.20%, and 83.32%, respectively. Pearl millet silage showed higher fermentative losses compared to the other crops, which did not differ among themselves. Dry matter (DM) losses were ~173% higher than the average of the other silages (2.36%), while effluent losses (EL) were around 380% greater than the mean (1.10 kg t −1 of DM). Maize presented the highest total revenues (average of R$ 16,651.95) and profitability index, while pearl millet had the lowest production costs. All crops were economically viable. Maize, sorghum, and pearl millet showed satisfactory agronomic performance, adequate nutritional value, and economic feasibility for silage production. Maize stood out for its high productivity and profitability, while sorghum demonstrated potential as a strategic alternative for semiarid regions.
Tropical forage grasses intercropped with sorghum in a semi-arid region: establishment, silage quality and economic viability Paulo Vitor Januário do Nascimento, Ana Beatriz Graciano da Costa, Stela Antas Urbano, Juliana Caroline Santos Santana, Maria Alice de Lima Soares, Anne Carolinne Rodrigues Linhares da Silva, Rodrigo da Silva Santos, Felipe Pontes Teixeira das Chagas, Marcone Geraldo Costa, João Virgínio Emerenciano Neto African Journal of Range and Forage Science, 2026 The aim of this study was to evaluate the intercropping of sorghum with Brachiaria cultivars in a semi-arid region. The experiment had five treatments: sorghum in monoculture and intercropped with forage cultivars (Marandu, Paiaguás, Ipyporã or Dunamis), arranged in a randomised block design with four replicates. The cropping system influenced forage mass (FM), with higher values observed in the intercropping systems. Intercropping with Dunamis resulted in the highest FM (10 072.2 kg dry matter ha–1). The silages with the greatest effluent losses were those produced from the monoculture and the cultivar Paiaguás (4.59% and 4.72%, respectively). Silage produced with Dunamis had the highest crude protein content (5.09%). The use of Brachiaria cultivars had little impact on the total cost, with increases of 5.39%, 4.19%, 7.20% and 8.89% for Marandu, Paiaguás, Ipyporã and Dunamis, respectively, compared to the monoculture. Only the silages from the intercropped systems with Paiaguás, Ipyporã and Dunamis had a positive profitability index. Therefore, intercropping of the sorghum cultivar BRS Ponta Negra with Brachiaria cultivars is recommended, particularly with Dunamis, which showed higher production potential and better silage chemical quality. Intercropping enables the production of good-quality silage while diluting pasture establishment costs in semi-arid regions.
The productive potential of intercropping Buffel-grass with Moringa: sustainable forage production in a semi-arid region Vanessa Alexandre Vieira, João Virgínio Emerenciano Neto, Antonio Leandro Chaves Gurgel, Rodrigo da Silva Santos, David Ramos da Rocha, Fábio Nunes Lista, Luis Carlos Vinhas Ítavo, Vanessa Zirondi Longhini, Gelson dos Santos Difante, Felipe Pontes Teixeira das Chagas, Stela Antas Urbano New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2025 The objective was to evaluate the effect of different tree densities on the productive, structural, chemical composition, thermal and light conditions of the intercropping of buffel‐grass ( Cenchrus ciliares L.) with moringa ( Moringa oleifera Lam.). The experimental design was randomised blocks, with four replications. The treatments consisted of moringa cultivation in five tree densities: 0; 3000; 4000; 6000 and 10,000 trees/ha, with buffel grass grown between the lines of the trees. There was no alteration in the thermal and luminous conditions of the consortiums as a function of tree densities. Canopy height and tiller population density of buffel‐grass were adjusted by quadratic equations as a function of tree density, with lower values estimated at densities of 8833.5 and 7275.0 trees/ha, respectively. Nevertheless, moringa forage mass was adjusted by a linear equation ( β 1 = 0.0655). There was no effect of tree density on dry matter, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, crude protein, and lignin in both species. Therefore, the increase in tree density promotes growth in the forage production of moringa and a reduction in the production of buffel‐grass but does not alter the chemical composition of forage plants.
Tissue flow and agronomic performance of intercropped tropical-climate grasses grown in the semi-arid region Ana Beatriz Graciano da Costa, João Virgínio Emerenciano Neto, Tamiris da Cruz da Silva, Jessica Daisy do Vale Bezerra, Francisco Israel Lopes Sousa, Paulo Vitor Januário do Nascimento, Patrick Bezerra Fernandes, Stela Antas Urbano, Gelson dos Santos Difante, Rodrigo da Silva Santos, Felipe Pontes Teixeira das Chagas, Danilo Matheus de Medeiros Néo New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2025 The intercropping between BRS Paiaguás ( Bachiaria brizantha cv. BRS Paiaguás) and BRS Tamani ( Panicum maximum cv. BRS Tamani) cultivars can ensure better utilisation of available abiotic resources, potentially promoting higher forage mass yield. The aim was to investigate the effect of BRS Tamani and BRS Paiaguás cultivars in different cropping systems (monoculture vs. intercropping) in the Brazilian semi‐arid region. The experiment was designed with five treatments in randomised blocks, consisting of different proportions of an intercropping system composed of the cultivars mentioned: 100% Paiaguás; 75% Paiaguás and 25% Tamani; 50% Paiaguás and 50% Tamani; 25% Paiaguás and 75% Tamani; and 100% Tamani. The availability of forage mass and tissue flow was evaluated throughout the experimental period. There were differences in the total forage mass between the cultivation systems, with the highest values estimated in pastures with a consortium of 25% Paiaguás and 75% Tamani, 50% Paiaguás and 50% Tamani, and 75% Paiaguás and 25 Tamani, respectively. When there was lower participation of Tamani (25%), the Paiaguás cultivar had a longer leaf lifespan and phyllochron. To ensure balance in forage production in semi‐arid regions, it is possible to recommend the implementation of intercropping with 50% Paiaguás and 50% Tamani.
Management of irrigated elephant grass intercropped with legumes in the semi-arid region Jéssica Daisy do Vale Bezerra, João Virgínio Emerenciano Neto, Tamiris Da Cruz da Silva, Patrick Bezerra Fernandes, Stela Antas Urbano, Felipe Pontes Teixeira das Chagas, Gelson Dos Santos Difante, Marcone Geraldo Costa, Antonio Leandro Chaves Gurgel, Francisco Israel Lopes Sousa, Rodrigo Da Silva Santos, Ana Beatriz Graciano da Costa Revista Mexicana De Ciencias Pecuarias, 2024 El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar la producción y composición química del pasto elefante (Pennisetum purpureum sin. Cenchrus purpureus cv. Mott) intercalado con Cajanus cajan (Mandarim y Fava Larga) y Stylosanthes guianensis (Bela) en comparación con su cultivo en monocultivo bajo manejo de riego en la región semiárida. El experimento se llevó a cabo en el Campus de Ciencias Agrícolas de la Universidad Federal del Valle de São Francisco, Petrolina, Brasil. El experimento consistió en los siguientes tratamientos: pasto elefante intercalado con cada leguminosa y dos tipos de monocultivo, uno con fertilización nitrogenada (200 kg ha-1) y el otro sin ella. Las leguminosas ayudaron a mejorar la calidad del dosel forrajero, con altos niveles de proteína cruda. La fertilización nitrogenada aumentó la masa de forraje producido por el pasto elefante. El análisis acumulativo de todos los cortes mostró que el cultivo intercalado de elefante con el cultivar Bela logró el mayor rendimiento, con 13.49 Mg ha-1, debido principalmente al aumento en la población de Bela, que demostró ser superior a las otras leguminosas a lo largo de los cortes. Con base en los resultados, se recomienda el cultivo intercalado de elefante con el cultivar Bela como la estrategia más efectiva para maximizar la producción de forraje en la región semiárida.
