Multispecies Tropical Grass Pastures as a Strategy for Pasture-Based Lamb Production Systems

The objective of this study was to evaluate forage yield, chemical composition, canopy characteristics, and lamb performance in Massai and Marandu grass pastures grown as monocultures or as a multispecies pasture under intermittent stocking. Lambs, with an initial body weight (BW) of 21.59 ± 0.12 kg, were allocated to three production systems: Massai grass monoculture, Marandu grass monoculture, and a multispecies pasture composed of both grasses. Forage production, canopy structure, chemical composition, nutritive value, animal performance, and system productivity were evaluated. At pre-grazing, the multispecies system and the Marandu monoculture had similar values for forage mass (4232.30 kg ha−1), stem mass (1355.35 kg ha−1), and dead material mass (1548.04 kg ha−1). In contrast, leaf blade mass and the leaf:stem ratio were higher in the Massai monoculture. Stocking rate was greater in the multispecies system (12.70 AU ha−1) than in the Marandu monoculture (9.22 AU ha−1); whereas, Massai monoculture (11.10 AU ha−1) did not differ from either system. Gain per area did not differ among systems, averaging 1267.10 g ha−1. The multispecies pasture composed of Massai and Marandu grasses supported a greater stocking rate than the Marandu monoculture while maintaining gain per area similar to that of the monoculture systems.