Intensificação de sistemas pecuários baseados em pastagens: microclima, distribuição térmica e desempenho de bovinos Nelore

Abstract

Silvopastoral systems have been globally recognized as efficient generators of important environmental benefits, particularly for the thermal comfort and welfare they offer to animals when compared to a traditional monoculture grazing system. To evaluate the potential of intensifying pasture-based livestock systems, the microclimate was monitored and the Heat Load Index was estimated, along with the performance of Nellore cattle, in a silvopastoral system with Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) brizantha cv. Piatã and eucalyptus clones AEC 144 (Eucalyptus urophylla) and AEC 2034 ((Eucalyptus camaldulensis x E. grandis) x E. urophylla), distributed in single row hedges (2 x 25 m; 155 trees/ha), and compared to a traditional monoculture grazing system (SPM), established with Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. Over the two-year study, the silvopastoral system promoted microclimatic conditions that resulted in better thermal distribution and fewer hours of heat accumulation than the monoculture system, leading to better animal weight gain performance per area and a greater capacity to support a higher stocking rate. Therefore, the intensification of pasture-based production systems promoting better thermal distribution enhances animal performance gains.