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Estimativa da Produção de Biomassa de Calotropis procera (Ait) R. Br., e Avaliação de sua Composição Química no Estado da Paraíba

2005; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.15528/336

2176-4158

Valdir Mamede de Oliveira,

Soil Management and Crop Yield

The present study had the objectives to obtain regression equations to estimate biomass production of Calotropis procera individuals, and to determine its chemical composition, based on specimens from two sites located in the municipal districts of Patos and Santa Luzia, State of Paraiba. In Patos (site I), 134 individuals were collected, while 149 ones were sampled in Santa Luzia (site II). At the moment stems were cut at 10,0 cm above the soil, stump base circumference and stem total length measures were taken for each plant. Then, total fresh biomass (leaves + fruits + flowers + stem + branches) was determined in the field, separately for each plant, and soil samples were collected for chemical characterization. Plant and soil materials were analyzed, respectively, at the Animal Nutrition and Soil and Water laboratories facilities, both located at the Center of Rural Health and Technology/UFPB, in Patos-PB. Plant biomass and total stem length data analyses were run through Microsoft Excel, version 2000, and four models, predefined by the software, were tested. Potency type model was chosen for both sites because it showed the highest coefficient of determination (R 2 ). Estimated regression equations of fresh biomass (Y), in kg, as a function of stump circumference (X), in cm, for sites I and II resulted to be, respectively, Y = 0.0187920 X 1.8174403 (R 2 = 0,897) and Y = 0.0077919 X 1.9213604 (R 2 = 0,905). Biomass estimates using these equations make evident the existence of significant differences in Calotropis procera forage production between these two sites. Calotropis procera from site I showed higher crude protein, mineral and non-nitrogenous extractives contents than site II plants. However, site II plants presented higher contents of neutral and acid detergent fibers, dry matter, organic matter, hemicellulose and ether extract than site I plants. The present study demonstrated that Calotropis procera is a potential species to produce forage in the semi-arid region of Brazil’s Northeast.