BIOMASSA NOS SISTEMAS DE PRODUÇÃO SILVIPASTORIL, PASTAGEM E FLORESTA HOMOGÊNEA

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the production of aboveground biomass produced in the silvopastoral system and compare it to the production in areas with pasture and homogeneous forest systems. The experiment was conducted on farms in Nova Laranjeiras county, in Midwest of Paraná. The evaluation consisted of three production systems: silvopastoral system with forage plant Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. cv Tifton 85 and tree species Eucalyptus dunnii Maiden at a spacing of 2 m at line and 50 m between the lines, with rotational grazing of dairy cattle; pasture system with forage plant C. dactylon cv Tifton 85 in monoculture, with rotational grazing of dairy cattle; and homogenous forest system, with tree species E. dunnii in monoculture, at a spacing of 2 x 2 m. All systems were five years old. The experimental design was completely randomized design with three or four replications, and the variables evaluated were total biomass of the systems, biomass for each component (trees and forage), luminosity, soil chemical characteristics and soil penetration resistance. In the silvopastoral system the evaluated variables were also compared among three tracks with different distance from the tree lines and the forage production was evaluated in three seasons (March, June and November).The silvopastoral system had the highest biomass yield with 45.59 t ha?¹ yr-1, the pasture system produced 38.92 t ha?¹ yr-1 and the homogenous forest system produced 15.82 t ha?¹ yr-1; there was no significant variation in forage production between the silvopastoral and pasture systems and among the different tracks from the silvopastoral system areas; the biomass production of trees per hectare is larger in homogenous forest system, but in silvopastoral system the biomass production is larger per specimen; the trees in the silvopastoral system caused a significant reduction (about 30%) in luminosity of the area, and there were no high variations concerning to soil characteristics. In general it is concluded that the silvopastoral system evaluated is an alternative with significant potential to be deployed, in order to extend the opportunities for income generation and to contribute to the sustainable rural development in the region.