Intercropping sorghum and Brachiaria to production grains and biomass in off-season cultivation

Abstract

The cultivation of sorghum and Brachiaria in the same area after the harvesting of the summer crop allows to obtain grains and biomass in off-season  cultivation. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify, in off-season cultivation, the combination of crops that provide higher grain yield of sorghum  and Brachiaria biomass intercropped in the row. The experiment was set up in Rio Verde, Goiás State, on February 26, 2009, using the experimental design of randomized blocks in 2x3+1+3 factorial scheme: two depths of sowing (2 and 10 cm of depth), three species of Brachiaria (Brachiaria decumbens, B.  brizantha cv. Marandu e B. ruziziensis), plus four additional treatments related to the monoculture of sorghum and three species of Brachiaria. The sorghum used was the DKB 599. The results show that the intercropping of Brachiaria in lines of sorghum, in off-season cultivation, caused reduction in the sorghum grain yield. The intercropping, in off-season cultivation, sorghum with B. brizantha and B. ruziziensis proved to be a advantageous practice for the production of dry matter and crude protein compared to monocultures. The C/N ratio of the sorghum at intercropping was higher compared to monoculture. In  intercropping, the Brachiaria provided increase in the percentage of soil covering in off-season cultivation.