The objective of this study was to assess the impact of fertilization on enclosed
pasture, aiming for increased forage production for use during the dry season. The
experiment was conducted at the Federal University of Northern Tocantins (UFNT),
on the Araguaína-TO campus, at the Center for Agricultural Sciences (CCA) in the
Nucleus of Studies on Ruminant Production in the Legal Amazon (NEPRAL). The
experiment began on April 10, 2023, and concluded on October 10, 2023, totaling
180 experimental days. It was subdivided into 90 days of enclosure, from the
beginning of the period until July 10, and 180 days of enclosure, from the beginning
of the period until October 10. The experimental design used was a randomized
complete block design (RCBD) with three fertilization levels, each with four
replications. The planned fertilizations according to the treatments totaled 30, 60, and
90 kg ha⁻¹ of N and K₂O for low, medium, and high levels, all with 40 kg ha⁻¹ of P₂O₅,
and were applied in the early days of the experiment. Evaluations were performed at
the end of each period, with samples collected at 15 cm above the ground,
considering the grazing horizon of the animals. The variables studied included total
dry matter forage mass (MST - kg ha⁻¹), dry matter of leaf blade (MSLF - kg ha⁻¹), dry
matter of stem (MSC - kg ha⁻¹), and from these variables, forage accumulation rate
and leaf/stem ratio (F/C) were calculated. In the 90-day period, the MST of the high
and low treatments did not differ, with an average of (3.57 ton MS ha⁻²), producing
more than the medium treatment. This result was reflected in the forage
accumulation rate (TAcF) due to total productions. The other variables did not differ
from each other. In the 180-day enclosure period, no variable differed statistically,
showing that higher fertilization did not increase dry matter forage. Therefore, the
application of 30 kg of N ha⁻¹ would be recommended for good forage accumulation
during the dry season, under similar edaphoclimatic conditions to those in the
experiment.
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