Tropical forage grasses intercropped with sorghum in a semi-arid region: establishment, silage quality and economic viability

Abstract

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.