Potential Forage of Manihot spp. Under the Effect of Cuts and Sources of Organic Fertilization

Manihot spp. (family Euphorbiaceae), commonly known as pornunça, is a forage plant that has been used in animal feed. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different conditions of organic adduction and cuts on the growth, productivity, and partition of aerial phytomass of pornunça in the Brazilian semiarid region. This work is part of a study to discover species of the Brazilian caatinga biome with agricultural potential. An experiment was conducted in the region of Cubatí - PB, Brazil, mesorregion of Borborema, and microregion of Seridó Oriental. The experimental design included randomized blocks with subdivided plots comprising two manure plots (bovine and ovine) and four cut subplots (February, June and October 2011, and February 2012). The sprout height, stem diameter, number of leaves, number of branches, green matter of the complete fraction, leaf green matter, green matter of the petiole, and green matter of the branch were evaluated. For sprout height, stem diameter (≤ 1.0 cm), green matter of the complete fraction, green matter of leaf limb, green petiole matter, and green matter of the branch, the best results were obtained in the first and second cuts. In contrast, the first and third cuttings allowed the management of a greater number of leaves and a greater number of branches of pornunça using both cattle manure and sheep manure and exhibited a morphophysiological characteristic of adaptation to the xeric environment, being a water deficit tolerant plant.