Phenological study of cultivated pastures in Moyocancha used for alpaca (Vicugna pacos) feeding

Abstract

The objective of the research was to determine the phenology of cultivated pastures (Avena sativa) for alpaca feeding. The study was carried out at the Estación de Altura Aña Moyocancha, belonging to the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Facultad de Ciencias Pecuarias, located 85 km from Riobamba. The experimental units were related to soil characterization, taking 25 samples, 3 samples were used for bromatological analysis, 100 seeds were used for germination percentage, and the phenological evaluation of forage oats, three altitudinal levels were considered (3829, 3831 and 3833 m.a.s.l.), each with 9 replications, using 27 samples at this stage. A completely randomized design was applied for the evaluation of phenological variables, while descriptive statistics were used for the other variables, with emphasis on measures of central tendency (mean) and measures of dispersion (standard deviation). The results showed that all phenological variables such as plant height, basal cover, number of stems per plant, number of leaves per stem, density and green forage production at 30 and 60 days of the evaluation showed no significant differences (p > 0.05), indicating that there was no effect on phenology by altitudinal levels. The soil analysis was rich in nitrogen 0.51 + 0.03%, high in phosphorus 338.03 + 16.80 mg/kg and medium in potassium 20 + 0.01 mg/l. The bromatological study showed that the nutritional value is around 14.36 + 0.29% crude protein and 19.80 + 0.66% crude fiber covering the dietary needs of the alpaca. Concluding that the forage oats adapted to the three altitudinal levels with an average production of 13.25 tn/ha, it is recommended to use this forage species to feed South American camelids.