Structural Characteristics of Managed Caatinga Rangeland Under Different Herbage Allowance.

The objective was to evaluate the number of tillers (NT), expanded leaves (NEdL), and expanding leaves (NEingL) of Cenchrus ciliares L. (CC) and Urochloa mosambicensis (Hack.) Dandy (UM) as well as sward height (SH) in area of managed Caatinga rangeland. Treatments were different herbage allowances (HA) (2.0; 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 kg DM kg of BW^-1). It was used male sheep with initial live weight of 23 kg, under continuous stocking. The design was a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were allocated in 12 paddocks of 584 m² each. The evaluations were considered as repeated measures and HA were evaluated by regression. The NT did not differ (P>0.05) over time and was not influenced by HA, with values of 78.9 to 49.2 and 128.2 to 89.9 tillers m^-2 for the CC and UM, in the first and last evaluation, respectively. The NEdL varied (P<0.01) with evaluations, from 3.63 to 0.08 and 4.72 to 0.15 expanded leaves tiller^-1, in UM and CC, in the first and last evaluation, respectively. In contrast, NEingL increased (P<0.01) over time and had no effect (P>0.05) of HA. The NEingL ranged from 1.03 to 1.55 and 1.56 to 4.61 expanding leaves tiller^-1, in UM and CC in the first and last evaluation, respectively. Regarding the SH, data were adjusted (P<0.01) to a decreasing linear model. Increasing HA increased SH from 16.27 to 25.62 cm, from the lowest to the highest HA. The increased of HA provides greater post-grazing stubble height.