Agronomic indicators and bromatological quality of the association of Pueraria Phaseoloides with Brachiaria Hybrid and Megathyrsus Maximus in the humid tropics

Abstract

The objective was to determine performance and quality indicators from the associations of Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato and Megathyrsus maximus cv. Tanzania with Pueraria phaseoloides. The study was conducted at the State Technical University of Quevedo, Ecuador, under humid tropical climate conditions. A randomized block design with a 2x3 factorial arrangement was used, evaluating two associations and three cutting ages (80, 110, and 140 days). total biomass, dry matter yield, bromatological composition, and soil microbiology were evaluated. The Megathyrsus maximus–Pueraria phaseoloides association harvested at 140 days exhibited the highest total biomass and dry matter yield. In contrast, the Brachiaria hybrid–Pueraria phaseoloides association at 80 days showed the best nutritional quality, with 11.18% crude protein, higher metabolizable energy, and 48.56% dry matter digestibility. The population of beneficial soil microorganisms increased with age. It is concluded that grass–legumes associations improve agronomic and nutritional forage indicators; Megathyrsus maximus was superior in yield, while Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato excelled in nutritional quality at early cutting ages.

Keywords: Nutritional quality, grasses, legumes, soil microbiology.