Efficiency of water use and bromatological characteristics of maralfalfa (Pennisetum sp.) under the application of bovine biol in the choquenaira experimental station

Sandra Condori Vargas; Paulino Ruiz Huanca; Olga Ticona Guanto; Gladys J. Chipana Mendoza

Abstract

The maralfalfa is a soft forage very palatable and sweet that can replace the molasses. In the Bolivian highland region there are seasons of scarcity of forage, which is why new alternatives for cattle feeding must be evaluated, for this reason the objective of the research is to evaluate the efficiency of water use and the bromatological characteristics of maralfalfa under the application of biol and irrigation. The methodology consisted of the evaluation in the hot bed, greenhouse, field and open field environments, with the application of 9 treatments consisting of the incorporation of bovine biol at 20, 40 and 60% and application of irrigation sheets at 25, 50 and 75%, the design was of random blocks with arrangement of divided plots, resulting in three blocks with three repetitions, soil moisture was evaluated, bromatological analysis of the amount of protein, crude fiber, energy value, yield in dry matter and the efficiency of water use. The main results show that the bromatological quality parameters based on crude protein, crude fiber and energy value in the hot bed and in the open field were as expected, the production in greenhouse and field obtained lower than expected values; however, they are found above other fodder crops of the region, which is why maralfalfa is a good alternative for its use in feeding ruminants in the different farms of the region. The irrigation water use efficiency was better in the warm bed to an irrigation sheet of 25% registering 4.54 kg m^-3 of water which means that to produce 1 kg of dry matter of the forage maralfalfa 220.47 L of water is required, during the five cuts