Forage Production and Nutritive Value of Mulato in North-Central Florida.

‘Mulato’ (Brachiaria sp.) is the first hybrid of the Brachiaria genus and was introduced in Florida in 2003. The objective of this study was to evaluate herbage production and nutritive value of Mulato in North-Central Florida. The research was conducted in Gainesville (29º N) from July to October 2008. Treatments were four forage species, pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum cv. ‘Tifleaf 3’), sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor cv. ‘Hay Day’), bermudagrass (Cynodon sp. cv. ‘Tifton 85’), and Mulato, distributed in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Grasses were planted on 10 June 2008, and plot size was 5 x 5 m. The forages were harvested four times at approximately 30-d intervals. On 17 July, only pearl millet and sorghum plots were sufficiently established to sample. All plots were sampled at subsequent harvests except for sorghum on 28 October. Mulato only covered 60% of the ground in August, while pearl millet, Tifton 85, and sorghum had 100% ground cover. However, pearl millet cover decreased to 64% in September and there was no difference among the other species (92 %). Mulato had similar total-season herbage mass accumulation (HMA) to pearl millet and Tifton 85 (5.4, 6.3, and 4.8 Mg ha^-1 for Mulato, pearl millet, and Tifton 85, respectively), while sorghum had the least HMA (3.8 Mg ha^-1). In vitro digestible organic matter concentration was the greatest for Mulato (676 g kg^-1) and sorghum (647 g kg^-1), followed by Tifton 85 (639 g kg^-1) and pearl millet (632 g kg^-1). There was no difference in crude protein (CP) concentration among Mulato (132 g kg^-1), pearl millet (129 g kg^-1), and Tifton 85 (138 g kg^-1). Sorghum had lesser CP concentration (120 g kg^-1) than Mulato and Tifton 85, but similar to pearl millet. Mulato may be an alternative warm-season grass in North-Central Florida.