Tropical forage diversity for cattle feeding

Forage diversity in tropical systems is a fundamental pillar to guarantee an efficient and sustainable bovine production, by offering animals a variety of forage plants, better nutrition is promoted, the use of natural resources is optimized and the health of livestock is improved. According to, Rosales (1998), tropical areas contain the greatest genetic diversity in the world, diversity that is expressed by the large number of plants per unit area.

In that sense, it is important to maintain a great forage diversity in ecosystems, because we can guarantee animals a balanced nutrition since, each forage species provides different nutrients, so a varied mixture ensures that cattle receive all the essential elements for their growth and reproduction. on the other hand, tropical species have different adaptations to climatic and soil conditions, which allows to maintain the production of fodder throughout the year, even in times of drought, there are species that are more liked by the anmales which translates into a higher consumption, some of these species belong to the legume family, which can improve the quality of the soil because through a biological process related to soil microorganisms they can fix atmospheric nitrogen, enriching the soil and improving its fertility.

Among the species are the ones that belong to the family of grasses that are the most used in grazing systems, such as guinea, star, brachiarias, king grass, elephant grass among others, there are also legumes that stand out for their high protein content, such as leucaena, gliricidia and kudzu among others, and there are also tree forages where trees and shrubs are included that provide high-quality forage during the dry season, such as moringa and acacia among others, as you can see there is a great diversity of plants that turn out to be an endogenous food resource for the producer on his farm, it is only a matter of designing their management.

To establish some forage species in the agricultural production unit, climatic conditions such as precipitation, temperature, type of soil, its texture if it is clayey, sandy, loam, fertility and drainage must be considered, of course to know the hydric needs of the species because some tolerate excess moisture better and of course that it has adequate nutritional levels for feeding the herd. Another aspect to consider is the management of the species for example in the pastures the rotation of paddocks prevents overgrazing and promotes the recovery of the plant, also for any species an adequate fertilization thus ensuring adequate nutrition of the plants and a higher yield, in addition to an arvense and pest control management to reduce competition for nutrients and avoid losses in production. .

In this order of ideas, it is important to mention that with shrub species silvopastoral systems can be implemented where trees, shrubs and grasses are combined in the same system, offering multiple benefits such as:

Dear readers, forage diversity is a key strategy to improve the efficiency and sustainability of cattle production systems in tropical areas. By properly selecting and managing forage species, a balanced feed for livestock can be guaranteed, soil quality improved and environmental impact reduced. Until recently these plant food resources such as shrubs and trees had been generally ignored due to inadequate knowledge of their potential uses, it is important to leave behind the conventional approach of monoculture and start associating these species to improve agroecosystems.