The production and nutritive value of the bermudagrass cv. coastcross under five different nitrogen doses (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400kg/ha.year) and two regrowth ages (28 and 42 days) were evaluated. The experiment was arranged in a factorial scheme in a complete randomized block design with three repetitions. The nitrogen (N) fertilization was performed in three applications right after harvest. Tiller population density showed quadratic response to N application. The forage production varied from 8.0 to 17.2t/ha.year at N doses ranging from 0 to 400kg/ha.year, showing positive linear response to nitrogen fertilization. The highest values of leaf:stem relation (LSR) were observed for later harvest in the absence of N fertilization. In general, as the N doses increased the LSR of grass decreased linearly. The crude protein contents increased linearly with nitrogen fertilization, showing higher efficiency at 28 days of regrowth. In vitro digestibility increases regarding the N fertilization occurred for younger plants at 28 days of regrowth. The neutral detergent fiber content decreased linearly with nitrogen fertilization. The nitrogen fertilization effect on the nutritional value of bermudagrass cv. coastcross depends on the regrowth age of this forage. When applying higher N doses under favorable growth conditions, the coastcross grass pasture should be managed to have defoliation each 28 days.
Cynodon dactylon; digestibility; neutral detergent fiber; number of tiller; crude protein
