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This work aimed to evaluate farmers' profile at Ibirapuitã's Envirnonmental Protected Area (EPA). The Ibirapuitã's EPA covers the municipalities of Santana do Livramento, Alegrete, Rosário do Sul e Quaraí, RS, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with non random samples -based in Agrarian Systems Diagnosis Analysis. Previously to the interviews a typology was created using data from relief, vegetation and soil use maps and historical documentation. Using data from these farmers' interviews, 11 binary and 16 quantitative characteristics were selected from sampling units representing Ibirapuitã's EPA. The relationships among these characteristics and farmers' profiles were evaluated. Data were analyzed using the software MULTIV. The first profile could be called enterprise farmers, with larger areas, larger herds and more specialized production systems, that could be identified by higher investments in cultivated pastures or health facilities, such as pumping water at home. In the second one, called the "familial beef cattle breeders", there were no contracted workers. This group owned smaller areas, higher stocking rates and a significant contribution of retirement salaries in their incomes. In this group, another subdivision could be found according to scholarship degree. This was indicated by a better access to information wich enhances a diversification of production for self-consumptio. It was also observed better practices in natural grasslands beef cattle raising systems. Farmers were grouped management according to the degree of cash flows and also to social and cultural characteristics influencing grassland management practices. This work demonstrate that social and cultural characteristics influences in natural grasslands management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to evaluate changes in the botanical composition of a natural pasture of the Central Depression of Rio Grande do Sul due to different sources of phosphorus applied. Treatments consisted of a historic of application of 470 kg ha-1.P2O in the sources single and triple super phosphate, Gafsa rock phosphate and introduction of cool season species and control. Except the control in all treatments were introduced ryegrass and clover. It was used BOTANAL method to assess flora composition. Multivariate analyzes were done ordering, by the method of principal coordinates, and randomization test, taking the Euclidean distance as a similarity measure using the software MULTIV. We identified 51 species on natural pasture. The botanical composition of the pasture was not altered by phosphorus sources when it was analyzed for all species (P= 0.262) but when it was assessed by species that contribute for more than 1% in forage mass (P= 0.066). The application of different sources of phosphorus changes the ranking order of species with higher herbage mass contribution in botanical composition of natural pasture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A produção primária em pastagens naturais no Rio Grande do Sul (RS) está diretamente relacionada às condições edafoclimáticas e de manejo a que esta pastagem está sendo submetida. O objetivo deste trabalho foi c aracteriza r e analisar possíveis relações não aparentes, através da meta-análise, utilizando dados de produção de forragem oriundos de nove experimentos, realizados entre 2000 e 2012, em pastagens natura is no RS. A base de dados foi composta por 208 observações, procedentes de experimentos realizados em três diferentes regiões fisiográficas do RS. As variáveis utilizadas foram massa de forragem (MF), oferta de forragem real (OFR) e taxa de acúmulo diária (TAD). Os dados foram transformados vetorialmente pela amplitude e submetidos às análises multivariadas de agrupamento, ordenação e aleatorização utilizando a distância Euclidiana como medida de semelhança. A análise de agrupamento formou três grupos de unidades amostrais. A MF e OFR foram as variáveis de maior correlação (r= 0,85, para ambas) com o eixo I da o rdenação d as unidade s am ostrais, o qual expl icou a ma ior variação dos re sultados (49,59%). As MF foram diferentes entre os três grupos (3469, 1743 e 1403 kg ha-1 respectivamente para os grupos 1, 2 e 3). A TAD dos grupos 1 e 3 foi semelhante (12,4 kg ha1dia--1.) (P= 0,49) e maior em relação ao grupo 2. A OFR dos grupos 2 e 3 foi semelhante (13,4 kg MS por 100 kg PV) e menor em relação ao grupo 1 (30,8 kg MS por 100 kg PV). A análise evidenciou para os grupos formados distintas MF e TAD podem resultar em semelhantes OFR. Primary production in natural pastures in Rio Grande do Sul (RS) is directly related to environmental conditions and management of the pasture that is being submitted. The aim of this study was to characterize and analyze possible relationships not apparent, through meta-analysis, using data from forage production from nine experiments, conducted between 2000 and 2012 in rangelands in RS. The database consisted of 208 observations, originating f rom experiments per formed on three di ff erent physiographic regio ns of the state. The variables used were herbage mass (MF), forage allowance (OFR) and forage accumulate rate (TAD). The data were processed by vectorial amplitude and subjected to multivariate analysis of clusters, randomization and ordination using the Euclidean distance as similarity measure. The MF and OFR variables were similar and higher correlation (r = 0.85) with axis I of the ordination of sample units, which explained most of the variation in results (49.59%). MF were different among the three groups (3469, 1743 and 1403 kg ha--1. respectively for groups 1, 2 and 3). TAD of groups 1 and 3 was similar (12.4 kg ha-1.day- 1) (P= 0.49) and higher than in group 2. OFR in groups 2 and 3 was similar (13.4 kg DM per 100 kg LW) and lower than in group 1 (30.8 kg DM per 100 kg LW). The analysis revealed distinct groups formed for the MF and TAD may result in similar OFR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory research is a tool that can be used in the construction of collective strategies for endogenous development planning. In this sense, participatory research is being conducted by the staff of the Laboratory for Studies in Agroecology and Natural Resources of the Southern Cattle Research Center (LABECO CPPSul) with family ranchers in the region of the Territory of the Upper Camaquã. Thus, we seek a balance between production and environmental conservation from processes of building research "multi-actor", where all subjects involved (researchers, extension workers and farmers) have the same degree of importance in making livestock durable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of management on species diversity in a natural grassland of the expe rimental area of the Rangeland Ecology Laboratory (LEPAN), Universidade Federal de Santa Maria/Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil which has been submitted to different fire and grazing regimes along 16 years. Treatments consisted of the combination of burning and grazing factors in convex and conc ave slope positions in a completely randomized design. Grazing was rotational with rest intervals calculated by accumulated therma l time (760 deg ree days) require d for the expansion of four leaves of Paspalum notatum and Andropogon lateralis. Botanical composition was determined using the BOTANAL method from 2006 to 2011. Data on number (n°) of species and Shannon index were analyzed by randomization tests in an analysis of variance using MULTIV software. Grazing had the strongest (P =0.036) influence on Shannon index and number of species. There was an interaction between grazing and relief position (P =0.052) and grazing and burning (P =0.07). There was significant difference for grazing in concave slope and for grazing on burned areas. We can conclude that management history, as well as type of disturbance affects richness and diversity of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]