This study was conducted to evaluate the displacement and permanency patterns of grazing cattle on Brachiaria decumbens deferred during 95 days under four strategies of nitrogen application (0-0, 0-100, 50-50, 100-0 kg N.ha-1), at the beginning and at the end of the rainy season. During the deferred period, in the dry season, forage yield, canopy structural characteristics, and displacement pattern were evaluated. Four steers were used in Ten grazing tests of 45 minutes and 14 heifers Girolanda, monitored every 10 minutes during 24 hours, were used to evaluate the permanency time. Pastures fertilized with 100 kg N at the end of the rainy season had higher herbage and leaf blade, sward surface height, extended leaf height, sward leaf blade bulk density and stem mass in all canopy layers. The lodging rates were higher for pastures fertilized at the end of the rainy season (0-100 and 50-50). More feeding stations and steps per minute were found in 0-100 and 50-50 fertilization strategies, due to greater difficulty in forage selection with higher degree of lodging. On the other hand, the numbers of bites per feeding station and per minute were lower for these strategies. The permanency time was greater on pastures where the fertilization was 100 kg N.ha-1 at the end of the rainy season (0-100). Fertilization close to sealing period modify the displacement pattern of animals because the higher plants lodging making the animals to spend more time on pasture with greater density of leaf blade.
deferment; feeding station; ingestivo behavior; grazing; lodging; nitrogen fertilization
