Performance of Beef Cattle Under Grazing as Affected by <scp> <i>Urochloa decumbens</i> </scp> Cultivars

ABSTRACT Testing animal performance under grazing is fundamental to determine the potential of recently released, high‐yielding Urochloa decumbens hybrids. The objective was to evaluate the weight gain of young bulls grazing on pastures of U. decumbens cultivars Basilisk, BRS Carinás, and BRS Poraitê, as well as to assess the nutritive value and plant‐part composition of the forage. The experiment was conducted over 2 years in a clay soil, using a randomized block design with three replicates. Pastures were managed under continuous stocking with a variable stocking rate (SR), aiming to maintain a canopy height of 25 cm. In contrast to the leaf blade and stem, the amount of dead material increased from the rainy to the early dry season, with Basilisk showing a greater mean value (1314 kg DM/ha), followed by Poraitê (1150 kg DM/ha) and Carinás (1127 kg DM/ha) ( p &lt; 0.10). Carinás and Poraitê had slightly greater crude protein (CP) (114 g/kg) compared to Basilisk (105 g/kg), particularly during the first year. Animals grazing Carinás had greater average daily gain (ADG) (0.62 kg LW) compared to Poraitê (0.54 kg LW), and similar performance to Basilisk (0.59 kg LW). In terms of live weight gain per area (GA), Carinás outperformed the other cultivars, reaching 406 kg LW/ha/year, compared to 359 and 358 kg LW/ha/year for Basilisk and Poraitê, respectively, due to the greater ADG and the increased SR observed during the rainy season. Carinás and Poraitê have potential for promoting cattle growth, owing to their comparable forage quality and plant‐part composition to Basilisk. However, the superior live weight gain per area observed for Carinás demonstrates its greater carrying capacity, without compromising individual animal performance.