Productivity and quality of Mombasa grass under fertilization with pig deep-litter and NPK

ABSTRACT The use of pig deep-litter (PDL) in pasture fertilization can be an important alternative from an environmental and economic point of view. This study was conducted to evaluate the fertilization with PDL exclusively or in association with mineral fertilizers on the quality and productivity of Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa. The experiment was carried out in Ipameri, GO, Brazil. The design was a randomized block design in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme with four repetitions, in plots of 24 m². The doses of PDL (0; 5; 10; 15 and 20 Mg ha-1) were tested, with or without fertilization with NPK (50 kg ha-1 of P2O5, 10 kg ha-1 of K2O and 10 kg ha-1 of N). The organic fertilizer was applied broadcast at the planting of the pasture, and the mineral fertilizers were split and applied at planting and as topdressing. Dry mass, crude protein, acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber were evaluated. PDL doses associated with mineral fertilization led to linear increases from 52 to 282% in the analyzed variables and better bromatological composition. PDL application is beneficial to the production of pastures, and increasing applications up to the PDL dose of 20 Mg ha-1 associated with mineral fertilization promoted better quantitative and qualitative results. With exclusive fertilization with PDL, the gains in quality and productivity were more modest.