Little-known leguminous plant can increase beef production by 60% (2022)

Summary

The introduction of the legume had the same impact of an annual application of 150 kilos of nitrogen fertilizer per hectare in the pasture. Four-year study shows that the use of Desmodium ovalifolium can reduce time to slaughter by 30% . Reducing how long is taken until the animal slaughter represents less costs for farmers and less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Legume improves bovine digestion and reduces methane emissions. A study conducted for four years has revealed that the intercropping of Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, also known as marandu grass, with the forage legume Desmodium ovalifolium (desmodium) increases the weight of grazing cattle in 60% in comparison with pastures without the use of nitrogen fertilization. "The introduction of the legume had the same impact of an annual application of 150 kilos of nitrogen fertilizer per hectare in the pasture", explains Robert Boddey, a researcher at Embrapa Agrobiology. Newly published in the journal Grass & Forage Science, one of the most important in the area of forage cultivation, the study also points out that the use of Desmodium ovalifolium can reduce time to slaughter by 30%, which represents less costs for breeders. "Reducing time to slaughter also entails less enteric methane emissions (cow burps) into the atmosphere", Boddey adds. An adult animal in the pasture emits between 50 and 60 kilos of methane per year. The use of desmodium in the pasture not only cuts emissions of enteric methane but also of nitrous oxide by allowing a reduction in the use of nitrogen fertilization on pastures. The nitrous oxide is the most powerful gas of effect greenhouse. According to research, each kilo of nitrogen applied over the field emits an amount of nitrous oxide that is equivalent to at least four kilos of CO2. Learn more about desmodium Desmodium ovalifolium is a perennial forage legume of Asian origin. The plant is a subshrub that can reach up to a meter of height. The stem is practically hairfree, except in...