Burning in natural pastures

Abstract

The rational use of the fire in natural pastures can be beneficial for the soil chemical characteristics, providing the mineralization of minerals, and increased them available for the plants, beyond promoting this higher growth, however without cares can promote a reduction in the soil organic matter contents.  In natural pastures the use of the fire does not always promote increase in the forage yield and quality. The response of natural grasses to burn depends straightly of the floristic composition.  For the tolerant species to the fire, that practice can be beneficial and improve the forage quality, but, when the tolerant species to the fire present low palatability and nutritious value, the quality of the grass is limited by the fire. The effect of burned natural pastures on the animal performance is a direct response to the changes in the forage quality as consequence of higher grass tillering that supply excellent nutritive forage. This effect can be annulled when there is a modification in the animal intake behavior as a consequence of the undesirable composition floristic changes. The utilization of the fire, as routine practice of pasture management, should be preceded of an analysis about its efficacy, efficiency and sustainability, with respect to improvement of the soil physical-chemistry characteristics, animal production, and productivity, quality and pasture persistence.