Brachiaria: discover the benefits of its cultivation

A brachiaria is no longer just food for livestock. The role of this forage plant goes much further: studies indicate that it contributes to improving soil quality and, in this way, contributes to increasing the productivity of crops such as corn and coffee.

Today this species of grass is widely used in intercropping, including in the no-tillage system. In this article, we will present all the benefits that this plant can bring to your farm. Check out!

What is brachiaria?

brachiaria is a genus of grass belonging to the Poaceae family, which has about 90 species. It is native to Africa, being widely used in the pastures of Tropical America.

In Brazil, it started to be used as forage for cattle feeding on pasture from the 1950s, mainly in regions with hot and dry climates, such as the Cerrado, which concentrates most of the Brazilian livestock production, with around 60 million hectares of pastures.

Brachiaria growing area
Brachiaria helped make the acid soils of the Cerrado region viable for livestock production.

Due to its characteristics, brachiaria soon expanded to the rest of the country in different soil and climate conditions. It started to occupy more and more space, with results that pleased Brazilian ranchers, especially in regions that had low and medium fertility soils, including in dry periods.

Main species of brachiaria

Discover the main species of brachiaria and the regions where they are found:

  • Brachiaria brizantha: (marandu or brachiarão) best-selling forage species in the country, as it adapts to different climates and soil fertility levels, mainly from medium to high fertility. But, it does not tolerate poorly drained soil. Ideal sowing time: October to February;
  • Brachiaria decumbens: widely used in acidic soils with low fertility, such as the Cerrado. Ideal sowing time: October to February;
  • brachiaria humidicola: Tolerant of waterlogged, poorly drained or flooded soils, such as those present in the Pantanal and North region. Ideal sowing time: November to January;
  • Brachiaria ruziziensis: needs medium to high fertility soil to develop. It does not tolerate acidic soils. This is the type of grass indicated for fattening or breeding animals. Ideal sowing time: November to February.

Brachiaria as pasture for cattle
Brachiaria is widely used in cattle feeding in several regions, at a lower cost than other forages.

Read also: Green manure: what it is, species used and benefits.

How did brachiaria become an ally in the fields as well?

Starting in 1986, Embrapa technicians began to carry out studies on the use of brachiaria in agriculture, that is, going far beyond its initial purpose of feeding cattle. The objective, at the time, was to find the best plant that could provide higher ground cover.

So, brachiaria ended up being chosen, being used in the corn and sorghum consortium that, in 2001, led to the creation of the Santa Fé system (one of the forms of Crop-Livestock-Forest integration).

Today, brachiaria is an important grass species with the aim of helping in the soil structuring and consortium with agricultural crops such as corn and coffee, increasing their productivity.

According to Embrapa researcher João Kluthcouski, planting this forage species, along with other crops, can increase the productivity of these crops by 5 to 10 bags of grain per hectare.

Furthermore, recent research carried out by Embrapa indicates that the planting of brachiaria can also be done between the lines of coffee trees, as a cover crop, allowing an increase of 18% in the physical content available in the soil.

Brachiaria planted in corn field
Brachiaria is used throughout Brazil as a forage plant, used to feed cattle and improves soil quality and crop development, such as corn.

Because it is easily found, many rural producers plant brachiaria after harvesting the crop, with the purpose of letting the soil rest and replenish nutrients. Thus, it will be able to receive new seeds and seedlings, making the crops grow again, with quality.

Other advantages

In addition to its use in livestock, brachiaria provides other advantages to the area where it is cultivated. See below:

  • improves soil properties: an advantage of planting brachiaria is that it acts as a soil conditioner, that is, it improves the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil. It manages to make the land fertile again, especially in its initial layers, which is a very important place for collecting nutrients from cultivated plants;
  • temperature control only: in addition, as it is a grass with a lot of biomass production, it acts as a ground cover. This prevents the direct incidence of the sun, reducing the temperature and, consequently, preventing the loss of water from the soil;
  • reduces the occurrence of other invasive species: brachiaria, used as a mulch or mulch, can reduce weed density;
  • reduces the appearance of white mold: the use of brachiaria allows the formation of a physical barrier that prevents the formation of white mold, a disease that attacks crops, vegetables and flowers, causing infected plants to rot.

In the video below, check out how it is possible to make forage consortia, including brachiaria, in order to increase crop productivity and herd performance with sustainability:

Source: Rio Grande Rural.

Conclusion

Therefore, in this article we seek to present the benefits of brachiaria to Brazilian agriculture, providing a food considered cheap for the fattening of cattle, in addition to improving productivity and assisting in soil recovery through intercropping.

Enjoy and also access our post about sandy soil. Good reading!

Anna Evans

Author-editor

View all posts by Anna Evans →
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