Agronomic evaluation of the growth and productivity of different grass varieties under variable slope conditions

Forage growth and quality are fundamental aspects aimed at the sustainable development of the livestock sector. Low productivity and poor quality limit the potential of livestock farming. Topography, as well as the use of varieties adapted to local conditions, can have a significant influence. Therefore, the objective of this study was to agronomically evaluate the growth and productivity of different grass varieties under conditions of variable slope. The research was conducted at the EETP, located at kilometer 5 of the Quevedo – El Empalme road, at an altitude of 75 meters above sea level. The recorded climatic parameters were: relative humidity 90.26%, sunlight duration 60.6 hours, temperature 26.3 °C, and precipitation 198 mm. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) with a split-plot arrangement was used, where topography (flat and sloped) was assigned to the main plot, and the species (Panicum maximum cv. Saboya, Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraes, and Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk) were assigned to the subplots. Agronomic and productive variables were evaluated. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey’s test at a 5% significance level, with the statistical software INFOSTAT version 2020. The number of tillers was influenced by topography, with 9.16 and 11.16 tillers observed at 64 and 81 days of age, respectively, under sloped conditions. The highest dry matter yield was observed for the Basilisk cultivar in both flat and sloped topography, with yields of 11,079.14 and 15,540.32 kg DM ha⁻¹, respectively. It was concluded that the Basilisk variety had the highest yield under conditions of variable slope.