Pastos y Forrajes vol41n2 del 2018

Vol. 40, No. 2, April-June 2018 / NRS 0099
ISSN 0864-0394 (printed version) / ISSN 2078-8452 (online version)
Quarterly journal. Official organ of the Ministry of Higher Education for pastures and forages | 1978
MISSION: to disseminate research results,
development of technologies and innovation,
related to the farming sector.
EDITORIAL POLICY: publication designed
for national and foreign researchers, professors
of universities and institutes of technical educa-
tion, farming entrepreneurs, organizations that
promote rural development, decision-makers
linked to the farming sector, livestock farmers
and producers.
Thejournalpublishesscientificpapers(research
papers, review papers, short communications,
technical notes, case studies, opinions and re-
flections) which contribute to the knowledge of
agricultural sciences and territorial rural deve-
lopment.
The publication of the contributions will depend
on the approval of the Editorial Board, which
will be supported on the opinion of the Scienti-
fic Committee. The revision of the papers inclu-
des a previous editorial evaluation, in which the
following aspects are reviewed: 1) fulfillment of
thejournalguidelines;2)novelty;3)qualityofthe
title, abstract, keywords and references; as well
as an academic evaluation made according to the
double-blind peer-review system, to guarantee
theimpartialityoftheprocess.
Asgeneralrule,nomorethansixauthorsshould
appear.Onlythosewhoparticipatedinsufficient
degreetoassumethepublicresponsibilityofthe
contentofthepaper,whocededthecontribution
for its editorial reproduction, will be considered
as authors. They are responsible for the results,
criteria and opinions that appear in the papers.
All contributions can be copied, used, disse-
minated and publicly exposed, as long as the
authorship and original source of their publi-
cation (journal, editorial) are cited and they
are not used for commercial purposes.
TOPICS
• Introduction, evaluation and dissemination of
plant genetic resources related to the farming
sector.
• Agroecological management of production
systems.
• Sustainable livestock production.
• Conservation of forages and agroindustrial
byproducts for animal feeding.
• Agroforestry for animal and agricultural
production.
• Integrated food and energy production
systems in rural areas.
• Utilization of alternative medicine in tropical
farming systems.
• Adaptation to and mitigation of the climate
change in farming ecosystems.
• Economic, managerial and social aspects of
farming production.
• Extension, agricultural innovation and
technology transference.
• Rural and local development.
ESTACIÓN EXPERIMENTAL DE PASTOS Y FORRAJES INDIO HATUEY
EDITORIAL COUNCIL
Editor-in-Chief | Dra. Tania Sánchez Santana
Assistant Editor | M.Sc. Nayda Armengol López
Editor-Agricultural Sciences | Dra. Marta Hernández Chávez
Editor-Veterinary Sciences | Dr. Javier Arece García
Editor-Social Sciences | Dr. Antonio Suset Pérez
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Dr. Jesús Suárez Hernández | Dra. Maybe Campos Gómez
Dra. Marlen Navarro Boulandier | Dra. Hilda C. Machado Martínez
Dra. Maykelis Díaz Solares | Dr. Jesús M. Iglesias Gómez
Dr. Marcos Esperance Matamoros | Dra. Saray Sánchez Cárdenas
Dr. Anesio R. Mesa Sardiñas | Dr. Luis A. Hernández Olivera
Dr. Luis Lamela López | Dra. Odalys C. Toral Pérez
Dr. Giraldo J. Martín Martín | M.Sc. Onel López Vigoa
Dra. Mildrey Soca Pérez | M.Sc. Milagros de la C. Milera Rodríguez
Dr. Félix Ojeda García | M.Sc. Yolai Noda Leyva
SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE
Dra. Sonia Jardines González | Universidad de Matanzas, Cuba
Dra. Angela Borroto Pérez | UNIVERSIDAD DE CIEGO DE ÁVILA, Cuba
Dr. Aníbal E. Fernández Mayer | Instituto Nacional de Tecnología
Agropecuaria, Argentina
Dr. Argemiro Sanavria | Universidad Federal Rural de Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
Dr. Tyrone J. Clavero Cepeda | Universidad de Zulia, Venezuela
Dr. José M. Palma García | Universidad de Colima, México
Dr. Oscar Romero Cruz | Universidad de Granma, Cuba
Dr. Carlos J. Bécquer Granados | Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes
de Sancti SpÍritus, Cuba
Dr. Rodobaldo Ortíz Pérez | Instituto NACIONAL de Ciencias agrícolas, CUBA
Dr. Pedro C. Martín Méndez | Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Cuba
Dr. Pedro P. del Pozo Rodríguez | Universidad Agraria de La Habana, Cuba
Dr. Redimio Pedraza Olivera | Universidad de Camagüey, Cuba
Dr. Rafael S. Herrera García | Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Cuba
Dr. Pedro José González Cañizares | Instituto Nacional de ciencias agrícolas, CUBA
Dr. Ángel Arturo Santana Pérez | Universidad de Granma, Cuba
SUPPORT COMMITTEE
Editing and correction
M.Sc. Alicia Ojeda González
Design and editing
Dailys Rubido González
Miresleidys Rodríguez Rizo
Translation
B.A. Nidia Amador Domínguez
Cover design
B.A. Israel de Jesús Zaldívar Pedroso

Vol. 40, No. 2, April-June 2018
Revista Trimestral. Órgano oficial del Ministerio de Educación Superior para el área de los pastos y forrajes
Quarterly journal. Official organ of the Ministry of Higher Education for pastures and forages
PASTURE AND FORAGE
RESEARCH STATION
INDIO HATUEY
INDEX
SciELO
SciELO Citation Index Web of Science
Electronic Journals Index (SJSU)
REDALYC
CAB Abstracts
AGRIS (FAO)
PERIODICA (México)
BIBLAT (México)
Open Science Directory
REGISTER
DOAJ
Fuente académica de EBSCO
LATINDEX
Cubaciencia
Actualidad Iberoamericana (Chile)
PERI (Brasil)
TROPAG (Holanda)
ORTON (Costa Rica)
BAC (Colombia)
AGROSI (México)
EMBRAPA (Brasil)
Forrajes Tropicales (CIAT)
Ulrich’s International
Periodicals Directory
Catálogo de Publicaciones
Seriadas Cubanas
Catálogo colectivo COPAC(ReinoUnido)
Catálogo colectivo SUDOC (Francia)
Catálogo colectivo ZDB (Alemania)
Papers to be considered by the
editorial committee, please contact:
Dra. Tania Sánchez Santana /
tania@ihatuey.cu
© 2017. Estación Experimental
de Pastos y Forrajes Indio Hatuey
Central España Republicana,
CP 44280, Matanzas, Cuba
 (53) (45) 571225 / 571235
http://www.ihatuey.cu
Online
http: //payfo.ihatuey.cu
http: //scielo.sld.cu
CONTENT
| ANALYSIS AND COMMENT |
Evaluation of the biogas production potential in Cuba
Jesús Suárez-Hernández, Roberto Sosa-Cáceres, Yeney Martínez-Labrada, Alfredo
Curbelo-Alonso, Tania Figueredo-Rodríguezand Luis Cepero-Casas............79
| scientific paper |
Evaluation of three sorghum cultivars [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] for
animal feeding
Raquel Ruz-Reyes, Adalberto Escalona-Peña and Aracelis Romero-Arias..........86
Effect of planting density on morpho-productive traits of Jatropha curcas
intercropped with food crops
Yolai Noda-Leyva and Giraldo Jesús Martín-Martín...............................................90
Effect of mineral nutrition on the yield and bromatological characteristics
of corn hydroponic green forage
Freddy Soto-Bravoand Carolina Ramírez-Víquez.....................................................98
Agroproductive effect of silkworm rearing waste as biofertilizer in two
forage species
Gertrudis Pentón-Fernández, Giraldo Jesús Martín-Martín, Milagros de la
Caridad Milera-Rodríguez and Marlene Prieto-Abreu...............................105
Diversity of the edaphic mesofauna in three soil uses in the Mayabeque
province, Cuba
Ana América Socarrás-Rivero....................................................................................113
Effect of the substitution of corn by crude glycerol on dry matter intake,
in grazing Holando cows
Alvaro Delgado-García, María de los A. Bruni-Borrone, Juana L. Galindo-
Blanco, Juan Pablo Marchelli-Craviotto, Duniesky Rodríguez-Acostaand
Pablo Chilibroste-Symonds.................................................................................121
Ecosystem with Leucaena leucocephala: its effect on the rumen
microbial population in fattening bulls
Juana L. Galindo-Blanco, Idalmis Rodríguez-García, Niurca González -Ybarra,
Roberto García- López and Magaly Herrera -Villafranca............................128
Effect of VITAFERT®
on the productive and health performance of
growing-fattening pigs
Agustín Beruvides-Rodríguez, Arabel Elías-Iglesias, Elaine Cristina Valiño-
Cabrera, Grethel Milián-Florido and Marlen Rodríguez-Oliva................134
Gender experience in the Local Agricultural Innovation Program in
Matanzas province, Cuba
Maybe Campos-Gómez, Taymer Miranda-Tortoló, Katerine Oropeza-Casanova,
Dagmara Plana-Ramos,Saray Sánchez-Cárdenas and Katia Bover-
Felices..................................................................................................................................140

Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 79-85, 2018 / Jesús Suárez-Hernández 79
Analysis and Comment
Evaluation of the biogas production potential in Cuba
Jesús Suárez-Hernández1
, Roberto Sosa-Cáceres2
, Yeney Martínez-Labrada2
, Alfredo Curbelo-
Alonso2
, Tania Figueredo-Rodríguez3
and Luis Cepero-Casas1
1
Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes Indio Hatuey, Universidad de Matanzas, Ministerio de Educación Superior
Central España Republicana, CP 44280, Matanzas, Cuba
E-mail: jesus.suarez@ihatuey.cu
2
Centro de Gestión de la Información y Desarrollo de la Energía CUBAENERGÍA, CITMA, La Habana, Cuba
3
Sucursal Matanzas, Grupo Empresarial Labiofam, Matanzas, Cuba
Abstract
In Cuba a significant potential for biogas production and utilization is observed, based on the diversity and
volume of contaminating residues generated by the agricultural and agri-food sectors; however, this potential is
not accurately known yet to utilize such information in the decision-making processes that contribute to national
bioenergy development. In that sense, the objective of the paper is to offer an evaluation of the biogas production and
utilization potential in the country. To facilitate the evaluation, the study was divided by sectors (MINAG, MINAL,
AZCUBA); within the animal husbandry sector, it was subdivided into poultry, pig (state and cooperative producers)
and cattle, but only the productive activity directly linked to MINAG was taken into consideration. In the case of
the industry sector (MINAL and AZCUBA), data were taken from the 12 most contaminant industries and from the
alcohol distilleries, respectively. The daily potential of biogas production is 674 609 m3
, in which the pig and poultry
production stand out; this potential means an energy production of 1 477 394 MWh/year, equivalent to 132 856 t of
diesel, whose import costs 48 615 065 USD Cuba according to the current prices. Likewise, if the intensity in CO2
of diesel is considered, the emissions prevented due to the substitution of this fossil fuel by biogas are estimated in
440 778 t CO2 eq
/year.
Keywords: bioenergy, pollution, residues
Introduction
Anaerobic digestion constitutes a good alterna-
tive to treat residues with high biodegradable organic
matter (Deng et al., 2014; Sosa et al., 2014; Rota
and Sehgal, 2015; Sosa, 2017). Thus, this treatment
is indicated for agroindustrial residual waters, with
high load of biodegradable organic matter: wastes
from the production of sugar, alcohol, meats, pa-
per, preserved food and distilleries (Rahayu et al.,
2015); agricultural residues, such as purines, ma-
nure (Girard et al., 2014; Sosa et al., 2014; Pérez et
al., 2016; Bansal et al., 2017); and urban residues
that comprise the organic fraction of solid residues
(Biogas Association, 2015; Mang and Shikun, 2015)
as well as sludge from urban sewage treatment plant
(Biogas Association, 2015; Frankiewicz, 2015).
This treatment is also indicated for mixtures
of organic residues from different origin and com-
position, taking advantage of the synergy of the
mixtures and compensating the shortage of each
residue separately, in what is known as anaerobic
co-digestion (Lijo et al., 2014; Agostini et al., 2015;
Biogas Association, 2015).
Biogas production through fermentation or an-
aerobic digestion is widely known, and there are
diverse systems and technologies for the treatment
of residual waters and organic residues that allow
to capture the gases they emanate, such as: fixed-
dome and floating drum biodigesters (Chinese and
Indian models), plastic tubular or polyethylene tube
digester (Taiwan model), plug flow biodigesters;
covered lagoon biodigesters with geomembranes
of high density polyethylene (HDPE), M-class
ethylene propylene diene (EPDM) and polyvi-
nyl chloride (PVC); second-generation digesters
(sludge ascendant flow UASB, fixed film, expand-
ed bed and fluidized bed); and third-generation or
second-generation hybrid biodigesters, a mixture of
several digesters in one unit, among the main ones
(La Bioguía, 2013; Carreras, 2013). Their impor-
tance lies not only on their capacity to turn organic
residues into fuel, but on the fact that such systems
prevent the release to the atmosphere of gases such
as methane (CH4
), which generates 21 times more
greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide (CO2
) –gas
used as reference (IPCC, 2007).
In Cuba, in the early eighties of the 20th
centu-
ry, the introduction of this technology was focused

80 Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 79-85, 2018 / Biogas production potential
mainly on solving the environmental impact genera-
ted by distilleries and large pig production and cat-
tle fattening centers; but it reached its peak among
the productive entities, especially dairy farms and
pig production facilities. Later, as time passed, a
high number of these systems were neglected, until
most of the installed plants stopped working; which
was largely due to the low prices of electricity at
that moment and the little motivation of entities to-
wards the utilization of renewable energy sources
(Blanco et al., 2012).
At present, the scenario in Cuba is very
different, but not less complex. With the increasing
delivery of lands to small farmers, the increase
of small and medium pig production farms –with
the subsequent rise in water contamination– and
the high prices reached by energy in the country,
the utilization of biogas is shown as an adequate
alternative. Farmers are motivated and the
environmental regulations are more rigorous, for
which the demand for digesters increases, only
limited by costs and availability of materials; all
this has created a favorable environment for the
development of biogas, which is an intelligent
solution for the treatment of the generated animal
excreta.
In this sense, the objective of the paper is to
provide an evaluation of the biogas production and
utilization potential in Cuba.
Materials and Methods
The evaluation was conducted as part of the for-
mulation of the international project BIOENERGÍA,
presented by the Cuban State to the Global Envi-
ronment Found –GEF–, which is coordinated by
the Pastures and Forages Research Station Indio
Hatuey (EEPFIH) and is focused on developing
policies to support bioenergy, building capacities of
construction and utilization of biogas and biodiesel
production systems, as well as developing institu-
tional and human capacities on these topics. Infor-
mation of the closing of 2013 was used.
To facilitate the evaluation the study was divided
by sectors (Ministry of Agriculture, MINAG; Minis-
try of the Food Industry, MINAL; Sugar Production
Group, AZCUBA); within the animal husbandry sec-
tor (MINAG), the subdivision was made into poultry,
pigs (state and cooperative producers) and cattle; in the
case of the industry sector (MINAL and AZCUBA),
the data were taken from the 12 most contaminant
industries and the alcohol distilleries, respectively. In
cattle production only the productive activity directly
linked with MINAG was considered.
The available information for conducting this
analysisonlyallowstomakeapreliminaryevaluation
of the biogas production potential and of the number
of facilities required to utilize it. The coefficients and
indicators used to determine the biogas production
volumes and their equivalent in conventional fuel are
the ones proposed by Guardado (2007), Guardado
and Flores (2008), Guardado and Vargas (2008) and
Díaz-Piñón (2009), which are accepted in this type
of studies at national level.
The indicators used in the calculation of the
potential in the poultry, pig and cattle sectors are
shown in tables 1, 2 and 3.
Table 1. Indicators used in the calculation of the
potential in the poultry sector.
Indicator Value
kg of excreta-day/animal 0,15
m3
of biogas/kg of excreta per day 0,06
Source: Montalvo y Guerrero (2003), Sosa (2007),
Guardado (2007), Guardado y Vargas (2008),
Guardado y Flores (2008) and Díaz-Piñón (2009)
potential in the pig production sector.
Indicator Value
kg of excreta-day/animal 2,3
m3
of biogas /kg of excreta per day 0,07
Source: Montalvo and Guerrero (2003); Sosa (2007 2014.)
potential in the dairy cattle sector.
Indicator Value
kg of excreta-day/animal 10
m3
of biogas/kg of excreta per day 0,04
Source: Montalvo and Guerrero (2003).
The annual energy production was calculated
through equation 1:
Energy production/year = biogas production/
day x 365 days x energy content of 1 m3
de biogas (1).
Where: energy content of 1 m3
of biogas (ex-
pressed in heat) is 6 kWh/m3
(EEPFIH/Cubaenergía,
2014).
Likewise, considering that the intensity in CO2
of diesel is 3,135 kg CO2eq
per liter, the potential of
emissions to be prevented due to the substitution
of this fossil fuel is calculated through equation 2:

Emission potentials to be prevented = diesel liters /
year x intensity in CO2
of diesel (2).
In this analysis, the handbook for calculating
benefits of the projects of energy efficiency and
energy renewable sources for GHG emissions was
used (GEF, 2008), as well as the results of EEPFIH/
Cubaenergía (2014).
Results and Discussion
In Cuba many studies about biogas have been
conducted, with emphasis on its production but
much less on its utilization. Recent examples are
the following: in pig production (Suárez et al., 2013,
2014; Sosa et al., 2014; Pérez et al., 2016; Suárez,
2017), in animal production with different species
(Savran, 2005; López et al., 2006), in agricultural
residues (Martínez et al., 2014), and in the sugar
production industry (López et al., 2006; ICIDCA,
2008, 2011). However, the biogas production poten-
tial at national scale, with a multisectoral approach,
has not been evaluated yet.
Production potential in the poultry sector
Poultry production in the country is carried out,
mostly, by the Animal Husbandry Entrepreneurial
Group (GEGAN, for its initials in Spanish), state-
owned, whose organizational structure for poultry
is the following:
• 11 enterprises for the production of concentrate
feeds,
• 19 poultry production enterprises,
• one goose production enterprise,
• the Poultry Genetics Enterprise,
• the Enterprise of Technical-Material Supply,
• the Enterprise of Supplies, and
• the Poultry Research Institute.
The poultry production enterprises are sub-
divided into farms, which are classified as: laying,
replacement and breeding hens.
Considering table 1 and the quantity of exist-
ing animals at the end of 2013 in each of the farms,
table 4 shows the biogas potential and its expression
in tonnes of oil equivalent in one year (TOE).
It is important to emphasize that in the poultry
facilities in the country the excreta is collected once
the cycle is finished; because if different people en-
ter, the hens get scared and do not lay eggs.
In order to eliminate the odors calcium car-
bonate (lime) or other substances is added, which
prevents that the excreta can be used for biogas pro-
duction. To achieve its energy utilization through
anaerobic technologies, a technological change that
allows the daily collection of excreta and prevents
the use of lime is essential. One of the authors of
this paper visited a poultry farm with 80 000 laying
hens, in which conveyor belt mats are used under
each cage row; these mats extract the dry poultry
dung with a frequency lower than 24 hours, to be
used in two covered lagoons biodigesters of 500
and 900 m3
, which supply electricity to the farm
through a Caterpillar biogas motor generator of 70 kW.
Production potential in the pig production sector
The pork production in Cuba is concentrated
by GEGAN, directly responsible for 60 % of the
production delivered to slaughter; while the rest
is assumed by small and medium private farmers,
according to ONEI (2013). This same source
states that 70 % of the pig stock existing in the
country belongs to the private sector; one of the
link mechanisms between the state and the private
sectors are the production contracts signed between
private farmers and state enterprises (called «pig
production contracts»). This approach for non-
specialized pork production in the cooperative-
farmer sector, transformed such sector into the
largest food production industry in Cuba; for
such reason, the information is divided into pig
production contracts and state farms.
Table 4. Biogas potential in the Cuban poultry sector and its equivalent in tonnes of oil
equivalent (1 TOE = 1 931,18 m3
of biogas, for its caloric value).
Farm type Quantity of animals (thousands) Biogas (m3
/ day) TOE
Laying hens 11 636 104 724 19 793
Replacement hens 2 227 20 043 3 788
Breeding hens 71 639 120
Total 13 934 125 406 23 701
Source: Elaborated from information of the National Union of Combined Poultry Enterprises
(UECAN).
TOE: tonnes of oil equivalent in one year, is an energy unit; its value is equivalent to the existing
energy in one ton of oil, and a conventional value of 11,63 kW.h was considered.

The organizational structure of the pig produc-
tion chain in 2013 is shown in figure 1. Cuba has 14
state provincial pig production enterprises and 160
municipalities with territorial units linked to these
enterprises, which belong to GEGAN. The state
farms are classified into: breeding, genetic, multi-
plying and integral ones.
According to data estimated by GEGAN, in
2013 there were 14 000 farmers with contracts.
The quantity of pigs varies from 30 to 2 000, but
the most common range is 100-120 animals (Sosa
et al., 2014). However, only 5,5 % (negligible value)
of these contracts had biodigesters as treatment
system; this proves the huge existing potential and
does not include the state sector, with a higher ani-
mal concentration.
Considering the indicators shown in table 2, the
quantity of existing animals at the end of 2013 in
each of the farms, the pig contracts and amount of
excreta, the biogas potential and its expression in
tonnes of oil equivalent in one year are shown (table
5). The average weight of the pigs under the condi-
tions of Cuba is 50 kg, taking into consideration the
starting and finishing weight in fattening of 80 kg
(Sosa, 2007).
Concerning the biogas production and utiliza-
tion perspectives in the Cuban pig production sec-
tor, in the investment plan of GEGAN foreseen for
the 2013-2020 period (Sosa et al., 2014), the follow-
ing items are included:
• 1 000 biodigesters of 22 m3
to treat the residues
of 100-120 pigs, in the cooperative-farmer sector.
Table 5. Biogas potential in the Cuban pig production sector and its equivalent in tonnes of oil
equivalent.
Type Quantity of animals Excreta (kg/day) Biogas (m3
/day) TOE
Private 833 175 1 916 303 134 141 25 353
State 286 693 659 394 46 158 8 724
Total 1 119 868 2 575 697 180 299 34 076
Source: Elaborated from the information reported by GEGAN.
TOE: tonnes of oil equivalent in one year, is an energy unit; its value is equivalent to the existing
energy in one ton of oil, and a conventional value of 11,63 kW.h was considered.

• 36 medium-size biogas plants in state farms.
• Utilization of biogas for generating electricity.
To the actions of GEGAN for the treatment of
pig effluents and the generation of energy, the ones
carried out by other actors (farmers, cooperatives,
state farms and international projects) are added. In
thecaseofthetwointernationalprojectscoordinated
by the EEPFIH, which prioritize pig farmers due
to the high environmental impact, the results are
the following: AGROENERGIA, funded by the
European Union and the Portuguese NGO Oikos,
built 28 biodigesters in the Martí municipality
(Matanzas); while the project BIOMAS-CUBA,
with funding from the Swiss Development and
Cooperation Agency (SDC), has constructed 179
biodigesters –including three covered lagoons, one
of them of 5 000 m3
– (Suárez, 2017). Additionally,
other private, public and cooperation actions have
allowed the construction and operation of other 539
small biodigesters.
Production potential in the cattle production
sector
The beef and cattle milk production is mainly
carried out by the private sector, which has more
than 80 % of the existing heads of this livestock.
At present there is the Cattle Production Entrepre-
neurial Group, which coordinates and supports the
performance of state enterprises, as well as coopera-
tives and farmers.
The information about the quantity of existing
heads, in the state as well as the private sector, is
found at the level of enterprises, which report the
data to the National Center of Livestock Control
(CENCOP)andtotheMinistryofAgriculture(MINAG).
Although cattle in Cuba is mostly semi-con-
fined, with concentration of the animals in night
hours, for the calculations only the milking cows
were considered (ONEI, 2013), because it is guaran-
teed that they are going to be confined at least five
hours per day for milking and in this period the
excreta is collected. Likewise, it was estimated that
5 kg of excreta per animal per day are collected.
Taking into consideration the indicators shown
in table 3, the quantity of existing animals at the
end of 2013 in each one of the dairy farms and the
quantity of excreta, the biogas potential and its ex-
pression in tonnes of oil equivalent in one year are
shown in table 6.
Production potential in the food and sugar
production industry
Within the food industry of MINAL, the 15
meat enterprises, five breweries, 15 dairy product
enterprises and four alcohol distilleries are con-
sidered as more contaminant or of higher environ-
mental impact; from these 39 enterprises 12 (31 %)
were selected, due to their high impact on the en-
vironment: one distillery, three dairy product en-
terprises, six meat enterprises and two breweries.
The main residues that are generated in this sector
are liquid, and include vinasses, wort and residues
from the production of dairy and meat products.
In the sugar production industry there are two
types of basic residues that can be treated through
anaerobic technologies, they are: sugarcane filter
cake (residue in the juice filters from sugarcane pro-
duction) and the vinasses generated in alcohol dis-
tilleries. In this analysis no data are included about
sugarcane filter cake, due to the little available in-
formation about its potential for biogas production
and the viability of this treatment.
In the case of distilleries in the sugarcane in-
dustry, they are 12 and are disseminated throughout
the country. These are the most contaminating fa-
cilities within AZCUBA. Table 7 shows the biogas
production potential in the food and sugar produc-
tion industries, and its expression in tonnes of oil
equivalent in one year.
Summarizing, the potential of daily biogas pro-
duction is 674 609 m3
/day with 127 563 tonnes of oil
equivalent per year.
The annual energy production would be calcu-
lated as:
Table 6. Biogas potential in the Cuban dairy cattle sector (private, cooperative and state) and tonnes of oil
equivalent.
Quantity of animals Excreta (kg/day) Biogas (m3
/day) TOE
Milking cows1
501 200 5 012 000 200 480 37 898
1
40 % of the total existing cows in 2013, which was 1 253,0 heads, according to ONEI (2013), was assumed as milking cows
TOE: tonnes of oil equivalent in one year, is an energy unit; its value is equivalent to the existing energy in one ton of oil, and a
conventional value of 11,63 kW.h was considered.

674 609 m3
/day x 365 days x 6 kWh/m3
=
1 477 393 710 kWh/year = 1 477 394 MWh/year.
Likewise, when considering the 127 563 TOE,
that one TOE is equivalent to 41 868 MJ and that
diesel has a calorific value of 40 200 MJ/t, it is cal-
culated that the 127 563 TOE mean 132 856 t of
diesel, whose import costs Cuba 48 615 065 USD –
without including freight and unloading– considering
the price of West Texas Intermediate (47,57 USD/
barrel) of September 4, 2017 (Precio del Petróleo,
2017); and that due to density, the weight of one
barrel of 159 liters is 130 kg. This amount would
allow the Cuban government to import, with the
prices of that date, any of the following amounts:
• 13 914 t of whole powder milk (3 494 USD/t;
ODEPA, 2017);
• 128 611 t of ground rice (378 USD/t; FAO, 2017a);
• 150 511 t of soybean meal (323 USD/t; Ámbito,
2017); or
• 360 112 t of yellow rice (135 USD/t; FAO, 2017b).
Considering the 127 563 TOE and that 0,1418 t
of diesel are equivalent to a barrel of 159 liters,
these TOE represent 884 273 barrels, that is, 140
599 467,9 liters of diesel. Likewise, the potential of
emissions to be prevented due to the substitution of
this fossil fuel is estimated in 440 779 t CO2eq
/year,
calculated as follows: 140 599 467,9 liters diesel/
year x 3,135 kg CO2eq
/L = 440 779 339 kg CO2eq
/year
or 440 779 t CO2eq
/year.
Conclusions
There is significant potential for biogas produc-
tion in Cuba, through the application of technolo-
gies which allow to utilize economically diverse
agricultural and agrifood residues, highly contami-
nant and GHG emitters.
The results of this evaluation can support with
information the decision-making processes that
contribute to the national development of bioener-
gy, focused on substituting imports of fossil fuels
and on eliminating the environmental impact; on it
lies their importance for national, sectoral, provin-
cial and local decision-makers.
Bibliographic references
Agostini, A.; Battini, F.; Giuntoli, J.; Tabaglio, V.;
Padella, Monica; Baxter, D. et al. Environmen-
tally sustainable biogas? The key role of ma-
nure co-digestion with energy crops. Energies.
8 (6):5234-5265, 2015.
Ambito. Harina de soja internacional. Buenos Aires:
Nefir S.A. http://www.ambito.com/economia/
mercados/granos. [09/02/2017], 2017.
Bansal, V.; Tumwesige, V. & Smith, J. U. Water for
small-scale biogas digesters in sub-Saharan
Africa. GCB Bioenergy. 9 (2):339-357, 2017.
Biogas Association. Municipal guide to biogas. Ot-
tawa, Canada: Biogas Association. https://
biogasassociation.ca/resources/municipal_gui-
de_to_biogas. [09/02/2017], 2015.
Blanco, D.; Cepero, L.; Suárez, J.; Savran, Valentina;
Díaz, M. & Martín, G. J. Manual para el diseño,
montaje y operación de digestores plásticos de
bajo costo. Una alternativa para Cuba. Matan-
zas, Cuba: EEPF Indio Hatuey, 2012.
Carreras, Nely. Biogás. Brasilia: ONUDI, 2013.
Díaz-Piñón, M. R. Apuntes para convertir la produc-
ción animal en una forma segura y eficiente para
producir energía y alimentos. Las Tunas, Cuba:
Grupo Provincial de Biogás, CITMA, 2009.
EEPFIH/Cubaenergía. Clean energy technologies for
the rural areas in Cuba (Clean Energy Cuba). La
Habana: GEF-PNUD; 2014.
FAO. Grains. Trade and markets. Rome: FAO. http://
www.fao.org/economic/est/est-commodities/
grains/en/#.WuHnXOf B_IU,[09/02/2017].
2017b.
FAO. Rice. Trade and markets. Rome: FAO. http://
www.fao.org/economic/est/est-commodities/
rice/en/. [09/02/2017], 2017a.
GEF Council. Manual for calculating GHG benefits of
GEF projects: energy efficiency and renewable
energy projects. Washington D.C: Global Envi-
ronment Found, 2008.
Table 7. Biogas potential in the food industry and AZCUBA, and its
expression in tonnes of oil equivalent.
Sector Facilities Biogas production (m3
/day) TOE
MINAL 12 25 959 4 896
AZCUBA 12 142 465 26 992
Source: Elaborated from the information provided by MINAL and AZCUBA.
TOE: tonnes of oil equivalent in one year, is an energy unit; its value is equi-
valent to the existing energy in one ton of oil, and a conventional value
of 11,63 kW.h was considered.

Guardado, J. A. Diseño y construcción de plantas de
biogás sencillas. La Habana: Editorial Cubaso-
lar, 2007.
Guardado, J. A. & Flores, J. A. Manual del cons-
tructor de pequeñas plantas de biogás de cúpula
fija. Taller Demostrativo. Proyecto GEF-PNUD
CHI/00/G32 “Remoción de barreras para la
electrificación rural con energías renovables”,
VII Región. Maule, Chile. p. 13, 2008.
Guardado, J. A. & Vargas, D. Apuntes sobre el biogás
como fuente de energía. Taller Demostrativo.
Proyecto GEF-PNUD CHI/00/G32 “Remoción
de barreras para la electrificación rural con
energías renovables”, VII Región. Maule, Chile.
p. 116, 2008.
ICIDCA. Investigación-desarrollo-innovación-pro-
ducción industrial de biogás a partir de desechos
de la agroindustria azucarera y sus derivados.
Reunión de la Red de Universidades Cubanas
para el Biogás. La Habana: ISPJAE. p. 30, 2011.
IPCC. Cambio climático 2007: Informe de síntesis.
Contribución de los Grupos de trabajo I, II y III
al Cuarto Informe de evaluación del Grupo In-
tergubernamental de Expertos sobre el Cambio
Climático. (Eds. R. K. Pachauri and A. Reisin-
ger). Ginebra, Suiza, 2007.
López, Lisbet M.; Contreras, Luz M.; Romero, O.;
Cruz, O. de la & Barrera, E. La producción de
biogás a partir de desechos pecuarios y agroin-
dustriales: una alternativa energética. Sancti
Spíritus, Cuba: Centro Universitario de Sancti
Spíritus, 2006.
Martínez-Hernández, C. M.; Oechsner, H.; Bru-
lé, M. & Marañón-Maison, Elena. Estudio de
algunas propiedades físico-mecánicas y quí-
micas de residuos orgánicos a utilizar en la pro-
ducción de biogás en Cuba. Rev. Cie. Téc. Agr.
23 (2):63-69, 2014.
Montalvo, S. & Guerrero, Lorna. Tratamiento anae-
robio de residuos. Producción de biogás. Valpa-
raíso, Chile: Universidad Técnica Federico Santa
María, 2003.
ODEPA. Precios internacionales de lácteos. http://
www.odepa.gob.cl/precios-internaciona-
les-de-lacteos. [09/02/2017], 2017.
ONEI. Ganadería en cifras. La Habana: Oficina Na-
cional de Estadísticas, 2013.
Pérez, Tania; Pereda, Ileana; Oliva, Deny & Zaiat,
Marcelo. Anaerobic digestion technologies for
the treatment of pig wastes. Cuban J. of Agric.
Sci. 50 (3):343-354, 2016.
Precio del Petróleo. Precio del petróleo hoy. WTI.
http://www.preciopetroleo.net.[09/02/2017],
2017.
Rahayu, A. S.; Karsiwulan, D.; Yuwono, H.; Tris-
nawa, I.; Mulyasari, S.; Rahardjo, S. et al. Han-
dbook Pome-to-Biogas. Project development in
Indonesia. Jakarta: Winrock International, 2015.
Savran, Valentina. Una solución energético-ambien-
tal para reducción de contaminantes agrope-
cuarios, como contribución al manejo integrado
de la cuenca Zaza. Tesis de Maestría en Gestión
Ambiental y Protección de Recursos Natura-
les. Matanzas, Cuba: Universidad de Matanzas,
2005.
Sosa, R. Fundamentación de los biodigestores tubula-
res en el tratamiento de aguas residuales en pe-
queñas producciones porcinas. Tesis en opción
al grado científico de Doctor en Ciencias Técni-
cas Agropecuarias. San José de las Lajas, Cuba:
Universidad Agraria de La Habana, 2007.
Sosa, R.; Díaz, Y. M.; Cruz, Tamara & de la Fuente, J.
L. Diversification and overviews of anaerobic di-
gestion of Cuban pig breeding. Cuban J. of Agr.
Sci. 48 (1):67-72, 2014.
Sosa, R. Indicadores ambientales de la producción
porcina y ganadera. VII Seminario Internacional
de Porcicultura Tropical. La Habana: Instituto
de Investigaciones Porcinas, 2017.
Suárez, J. Informe final del proyecto BIOMAS-CUBA
Fase II. Matanzas, Cuba: EEPF Indio Hatuey,
2017 6.4. Report No., 2017.
Received: June 9, 2016
Accepted: October 25, 2017

86 Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 86-89, 2018 / Sorghum cultivars for animal feeding
Scientific Paper
Evaluation of three sorghum cultivars [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench]
for animal feeding
Raquel Ruz-Reyes, Adalberto Escalona-Peña and Aracelis Romero-Arias
Universidad de Las Tunas Vladimir Ilich Lenin. Avenida Carlos J. Finlay s/n, Reparto Santos, Las Tunas, Cuba
E-mail: raquel@ult.edu.cu
Abstract
The study was conducted in the cooperative of credits and services (CCS) Reytel Jorge of the Jesús Menéndez
municipality –Las Tunas province, Cuba–, in order to evaluate, on a Brown soil without carbonates, the productive
performance of three sorghum cultivars: CIAP 132-R, CIAP 29 and CIAP 2E-95. A randomized block design was
used, with four replicas per treatment in 9-m2
plots and a distance of 1 m between replicas. The sorghum seeds,
with 98 % germination, were from the Central University of Las Villas. Seeding was done at a depth of 4 cm and
the distance between furrows was 40 cm. Regarding plant height at 45 and 60 days all the cultivars differed among
themselves, and the highest value corresponded to cv. CIAP 29 and the lowest to CIAP 132- R. Cv. CIAP 2E-95
showed the highest dry mass, while CIAP 29 had a moderate one. Likewise, the highest grain yield was obtained with
cv. CIAT 2E-95 (14,4 t ha-1
), while CIAP 132 -R and CIAP 29 had lower yields, without differences between them. It
is concluded that the three cultivars can be used for animal feeding.
Keywords: height, grains, yield
Introduction
Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, commonly
known as sorghum, is a plant species that originated
in Africa, specifically in Sudan and Ethiopia. It is a
cereal acknowledged as highly productive, drought
resistant; which provides mankind with food, forage,
fiber and energy, particularly in the semi-arid re-
gions (Kimber et al., 2013). It is a tropical grass of
C4 metabolism, which through breeding has been
disseminated to temperate regions of the world, and
has been established as a crop of high environmen-
tal adaptation (Blum, 2004).
A few sorghum cultivars can be utilized to ob-
tain fuel, such as ethanol, and in some places it is
used in the production of alcoholic beverages (Bond
et al., 2015). It is the fifth cereal in the world for
its production and surface; it is used as feedstuff
for livestock and is considered a corn substitute, al-
though it is usually catalogued as of lower quality.
One of its most outstanding characteristics is
dormancy, which allows it to suspend growth until
favorable conditions are re-established (Carrasco et
al., 2011).
If it is compared with other summer crops, this
cereal shows lower water need; it is better adapted
to dry regions; and contributes good stubble, neces-
sary to develop sustainable agriculture and for the
recovery of soil and its fertility (González, 2013).
Sorghum is well developed on alkaline soils,
specially sugared cultivars which demand the
presence of calcium carbonate, increasing the
sucrose content in the stems and leaves. It is better
adapted to deep soils, without excess of salts, with
good drainage, without hardened layers, of good
fertility and pH between 6,2 and 7,8 (Infoagro, 2012).
InCubasorghumisadaptedtodifferentedapho-
climatic conditions, mainly due to its drought tol-
erance. In Las Tunas province, this crop is little
distributed in the agricultural areas, although its
extension and distribution would benefit animal
feeding, especially in the dry season when pas-
tures are insufficient. For such reason, the objective
of this research was to evaluate, on a Brown soil
without carbonates, the productive performance of
three sorghum cultivars: CIAP 132-R, CIAP 29 and
CIAP 2E-95.
The study was conducted in the cooperative of
credits and services Reytel Jorge, locality Vedado 3
of the Jesús Menéndez municipality, which is located
in the northern area of Las Tunas province.
The prevailing soil in the farm belongs to the
Brown type, classified as loose Brown without car-
bonates (Hernández-Jiménez et al., 2015), of loam
clayey-sandy texture, which is characterized by a
moderate content of organic matter and a pH close
to neutrality (table 1).

Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 86-89, 2018 / Raquel Ruz-Reyes 87
Arandomizedblockdesignwasused,withthree
cultivars that constituted the treatments (CIAP 132-
R, CIAP 2E-95 and CIAP 29) and four replicas, in
plots 3 m long by 3 m wide and a distance of 1 m
between replicas. The planting distance between
rows was 60 cm, and the plants of the central
rows were evaluated. The planting was carried out
between April 21 and September 14, 2015. Sorghum
seeds were used, with 98 % germination, from the
Central University of Las Villas.
The soil preparation, furrowing, planting and
cultivation works were performed according to the
orientation in the «Instructivo técnico del cultivo
del sorgo» («Technical instructions for sorghum
cultivation») (MINAG, 2005). Throughout the
crop cycle it was not necessary to apply irrigation
because in this period there was high rainfall inci-
dence; no mineral fertilizers or organic matter were
used. The harvest was manually done.
To evaluate the yield indicators 40 plants were
randomly selected per plot, and the following meas-
urements were carried out:
• Plant height (cm)
• Green and dry mass per plant and yield (t ha-1
)
• Panicle length (cm)
• Grain mass per panicle (g)
• Number of grains per panicle (g)
• Grain yield (t ha-1
)
The data obtained from the different measure-
ments were subject to a double classification variance
analysis, and the means were compared through
Duncan’s test for 5 % of error probability, using the
statistical package Infostat (1998).
Table 2 shows plant height. At 15 and 30 days
after germination, there were no significant statist-
ical differences among the cultivars; however, at 45
and 60 days all of them differed among themselves,
with the highest value for CIAP 29 and the lowest
for CIAP 132-R.
The green and dry mass of the sorghum plant
in the milky grain stage was significantly lower in
cv. CIAP 132-R (table 3). Cvs. CIAP 2E-95 and
CIAP 29 did not differ among themselves regarding
the green mass, but they did with regards to green
mass, and CIAP 2E-95 showed the highest value.
The three sorghum cultivars reached high forage
yield, which varied between 44,9 and 68,8 t ha-1
.
In this sense, Peña et al. (2007) reported sorghum
forage yields between 40 and 50 t ha-1
, although in
high fertility soils they can be higher, as in the case
of Ferralitic red soils (80 t ha-1
).
Table 1. Chemical characteristics of the soil.
Indicator Value
pH 6,5
Organic matter, % 3,5
Available P, mg 100 g-1
20,0
CEC, cmol(+)
kg-1
31,4
Table 2. Height of the evaluated cultivars.
Cultivar
Plant height (cm)
15 days 30 days 45 days 60 days
CIAP 132-R 21,75 90,25 111,00a
132,00a
CIAP 2E-95 20,13 85,50 155,10b
192,00b
CIAP 29 18,75 77,75 214,50c
243,50c
VC (%) 17,16 9,00 8,80 3,82
SE ± 0,86 1,2 1,1 1,5
Means with different superscripts in the same column
statistically differ at p < 0,05.
Table 3. Green and dry mass and yield of forage.
Cultivar Green mass
(g/plant)
Dry mass
(g/plant)
Yield
(t ha-1
)
CIAP 132-R 314,00a
117,00a
44,9
CIAP 2E-95 481,25b
271,75c
68,8
CIAP 29 466,75b
190,25b
66,8
VC (%) 10,49 12,26 8,45
SE ± 1,1 1,5 0,78
Means with different superscripts in the same column
statistically differ at p < 0,05.
The leaf surface is highly important, because
the interception of the photosynthetically active ra-
diation, necessary for biomass production and the
corresponding contribution to yield, depends on its
development.
It is important to emphasize the report by dif-
ferent authors about the fact that sorghum is con-
sidered a very efficient regarding the environmental
conditions; in literature it is stressed that the criti-
cal period comprises from the moment in which
the panicle surrounded by the leaf sheath emerges,
mainly of the flag leaf (stage known as stuffing), to

88 Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 86-89, 2018 / Sorghum cultivars for animal feeding
the end of the milky stage in the maturity phase; for
which the final yield will depend on the conditions
the crop faces in that period and the development
it reaches.
In the yield indicators the cv. CIAP 2E-95
showed the highest values, with significant differen-
ces with regards to the other cultivars, except in the
panicle length in which cultivar CIAP 29 showed
the highest value (table 4). According to Villeda
(2014) the grain weight also depends on the genetic
factor, as well as on the capacity of the plant to store
dry matter, because the final mass of the grain de-
pends on the dry matter produced.
The grain yield reached 14,4 t ha-1
in cv. CIAP
2E-95 (table 4), which significantly surpassed CIAP
132-R and CIAP 29, and they did not differ between
them. Such value in cv. CIAT 2E-95 exceeded the
ones obtained by Nápoles et al. (2007).
It must be stressed that, in the period in which
the study was conducted, the temperature varied
between 27,0 and 28,7 ºC; and rainfall in June and
July were 174 and 208 mm, respectively. This could
have favored the crop growth, which influenced the
yield.
Morell-Acosta and Pérez-Matos (2015), when
studying vars. CIAP 132-R and CIAP 2E-95 in
southern Las Tunas, obtained similar results regard-
ing panicle length and number of grains per panicle;
however, the yields were lower in 1,2 and 11,6 t ha-1
,
respectively, than the ones reached in this study.
On the other hand, Nápoles et al. (2007), when
conducting studies with the vars. CIAP 2E-95 and
CIAP 132-R on eroded soils that had very low
values of organic matter, P2
O5
and K2
O, obtained
yields of 3,57 and 3,17 t ha-1
, respectively; while
Maqueira-López et al. (2016), on a petroferric
ferruginous nodular Hydromorphic Gley soil, of
Los Palacios –Pinar del Río–, reported yields of 3,0 t
ha-1
in the var. CIAP 132-R.
Villeda (2014) indicated that there is a correla-
tion between the number of grains and the final agri-
cultural yield. This author also makes reference to
the positive correlation among the number of inflo-
rescences, spikelets per inflorescence, flowers per
spikelet, and the proportion of flowers that produce
grain.
Another aspect to be taken into consideration is
climate conditions. Sorghum is considered a warm
climate plant that responds to high temperatures,
and the optimum one for its development is between
29 and 30 ºC; this is due to its morphological charac-
teristics that make it a very efficient crop under
such conditions, because it shows good growth of
the root system, with low transpiration level with
regards to the high capacity of root absorption, and
a waxy cover on the stems and leaves (Rangel-Sa-
linas et al., 2013).
The above-mentioned factors influence in one
way or the other sorghum yield, hence in the different
studies different results have been obtained.
It is concluded that, under the edaphoclimatic
conditions of the Jesús Menéndez municipality, the
three studied cultivars reached high grain yield, for
which they can be used for animal feeding.
Blum, A. Sorghum physiology. In: H. T. Nguyen, ed.
Physiology and biotechnology integration for
plant breeding. New York: Marcel Dekker Inc.
p. 141-223, 2004.
Bond, J.; Allen, E.; Capehart, T. & Hansen, J. US Sor-
ghum markets in transition: trade policies drive
export. USA: USDA, 2015.
Carrasco, Natalia; Zamora, M. & Melin, A., Eds.
Manual de sorgo. Buenos Aires: Chacra Experi-
mental Integrada Barrow, Ediciones INTA, 2011.
González, M. Evaluación de rendimiento y calidad
de sorgos forrajeros para pastoreo directo en el
Table 4. Performance of yield indicators.
Cultivar
Panicle length
(cm)
Weight of the grains
per panicle (g)
No. of grains
per panicle (u)
Grain yield
(t ha-1
)
CIAP 132-R 25,25a
25,75a
1 245,50a
3,57a
CIAP 2E-95 28,50b
101,50b
3 382,75b
14,4b
CIAP 29 32,25c
31,75a
1 331,75a
4,57a
VC (%) 4,15 10,8 9,05 11,78
SE± 0,29 1,4 0,96 0,86
Means with different superscripts in the same column statistically differ at p < 0,05.

Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 86-89, 2018 / Raquel Ruz-Reyes 89
sudoeste de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Tra-
bajo final de Ingeniería en Producción Agro-
pecuaria. Buenos Aires: Facultad de Ciencias
Agrarias, Universidad Católica Argentina. http://
bibliotecadigital.uca.edu.ar/greenstone/cgi-bin/
library.cgi?a=d&c=tesis&d=evaluacion-rendi-
miento-calidad-sorgos. [18/02/2017], 2013.
Hernández-Jiménez, A.; Pérez-Jiménez, J. M.;
Bosch-Infante, D. & Castro-Speck, N. Clasifica-
ción de los suelos de Cuba. Mayabeque, Cuba:
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas, Insti-
tuto de Suelos, Ediciones INCA, 2015.
Infoagro. El cultivo del sorgo. http://www.infoagro.
com/herbaceos/forrajes/sorgo.htm. [18/02/2017].
2012.
Infostat. Infostat. Version 1.6. Argentina: Universidad
de Córdoba, 1998.
Kimber, Clarissa T.; Dahlberg, J. A. & Kresovich, S.
The genepool of Sorghum bicolor and its impro-
vement. In: A. H. Paterson, ed. Genomics of the
Saccharinae. New York: Springer. p. 23-42, 2013.
Maqueira-López, L. A.; Torres-de-la-Noval, W.; Pé-
rez-Mesa, S. A.; Roján-Herrera, O. & More-
jón-Rivera, R. Comportamiento del crecimiento
y rendimiento agrícola de dos cultivares de sorgo
(Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) en la época poco
lluviosa en la localidad de Los Palacios. Cultivos
Tropicales. 37 (3):103-108, 2016.
MINAG. Formulario de descripción varietal I 2002.
Registro de variedades comerciales. La Habana:
Dirección de Semillas, Ministerio de la Agricul-
tura, 2005.
Morell-Acosta, A. A. & Pérez-Matos, Aimé. Evalua-
ción de componentes de rendimiento en tres va-
riedades de sorgo rojo en el sur de Las Tunas.
Revista Científica Infociencia. 19 (4):1-10, 2015.
Nápoles, J. A.; Quintana, Maribel; Cancio, T.; Avila,
U.; Ulloa, Lisbet; Galdo, Yaldresy et al. Produc-
ción de semillas de Sorghum bicolor L. Moench
con enfoque de sostenibilidad. Agrotecnia de
Cuba. 31 (2). http://www.actaf.co.cu/revistas/
agrotecnia_05_2008/agrot2007-2/Semilla/Semi-
lla6.pdf. [18/03/2017], 2007.
Peña, F.; Riverol, M.; Hernández, Consuelo; Cabrera,
E.; Alfonso, C. A; Llanes, J. M. et al. Manejo
de las coberturas como parte de un sistema in-
tegrado de lucha contra la erosión de los suelos
en Cuba. Ecosolar. 11. http://www.cubasolar.cu/
Biblioteca/ecosolar/Ecosolar01/HTML/Articu-
lo05.htm. [18/03/2017], 2007.
Rangel-Salinas, J. L.; MamadouBâ, K.; Kelso-Bucio,
H. A. & Magaña-Hernández, F. Estimación de la
demanda hídrica del trigo y sorgo en el Estado
de México mediante la recalibración de KT. Rev.
Cie. Téc. Agr. 22 (sup. 1):72-76, 2013.
Villeda, Dora A. Caracterización morfoagronómica
de 15 accesiones de sorgo (Sorghum bicolor L.
Moench) con bajo contenido de lignina. Tesis de
Maestría en Agricultura Sostenible. San Salvador,
El Salvador: Universidad de El Salvador, 2014.
Received: December 5, 2017
Accepted: May 11, 2018

90 Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 90-97, 2018 / Planting density of intercropped Jatropha curcas
Scientific Paper
Effect of planting density on morpho-productive traits of Jatropha curcas
intercropped with food crops
Yolai Noda-Leyva and Giraldo Jesús Martín-Martín
Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes Indio Hatuey, Universidad de Matanzas, Ministerio de Educación Superior
Central España Republicana, CP 44280, Matanzas, Cuba
E-mail: noda@ihatuey.cu
Abstract
In order to determine the effect of planting density on the morpho-productive traits of Jatropha curcas
intercropped with crops under rotation, the following treatments-systems (S) were studied in a completely randomized
design: S1 (control): J. curcas at 2,5 x 2,0 m (2 000 plants/ha), S2: 50 % of the area with J. curcas at 2,5 x 2,0 m and 50 %
of the area with crops under rotation (2 000 plants/ha), S3: J. curcas intercropped with crops at 5,0 x 2,0 m (1 000
plants/ha), S4 (control): crops under rotation. To interpret the results of plant height (H), number of primary branches
(PB), stem diameter and primary branch diameter, quantity of racemes (NR) and fruit production (FP), a simple
classification ANOVA was used and H, PB and NR were correlated; while descriptive statistics was used for the
number of fruits per raceme (FR), weight and size of the seeds and crop yield. H and PB were higher for S1 and S2;
nevertheless, higher NR was obtained with S3, and this last one did not differ regarding FP (p < 0,05) from the control
(S1). There was high and positive correlation (r = 0,84) between H and PB, but they were not correlated with NR. In
S3, the yield of the associated crops was 1,023; 4,281 and 0,320 t/ha for beans, sweet potato and sesame, respectively.
It is concluded that when using 1 000 plants/ha in association systems, adequate yields and diversity of plant species
can be obtained.
Keywords: spacing, yield, cultivation systems
Introduction
Among the most used crops for biodiesel pro-
duction, Jatropha curcas represents an option,
because its seeds are not edible. It is a fast-growth
shrub, which can reach more than one meter and
half of height under special conditions. The fruits
are ovoid capsules, with three locules, and each of
them contains one seed. They represent between 53
and 79 % of the fruit weight, and have an oil content
between 33 and 38 % (Rucoba et al., 2013).
Seed production per plant varies depending on
the crop management. Thus, in Brazil a production
potential of 2,3 seeds/ha under arid conditions,
without irrigation and in intensive cultivation, is re-
ported; while with good water availability, around
5 t/ha can be reached (González et al., 2015; Rade
et al., 2017).
In Cuba it has been proven that J. curcas can
be cultivated throughout the country (Machado and
Suárez, 2009); however, its fruit production poten-
tial has been little studied, for which there is lack of
information about its technology to incorporate it in
productive chains.
Some studies indicate that the adequate manage-
ment of pruning, the supply of nutrients and water
and the planting frame can cause variation in the
fruit yield, which is the main objective to obtain
high oil productions (Folegatti et al., 2013). With
regards to the planting frame, it will depend on the
purpose. For example, Moreno (2014) used distances
of 2 x 2 m or 3 x 3 m in pure crops, to obtain high
productions. Córdova et al. (2015) recommend dis-
tances of 4 or 6 meters and 2,5 m between plants
if the purpose is to utilize the land more widely,
so that the spaces between rows can be utilized to
intercrop food crops.
It is important to take into consideration the ade-
quate use of J. curcas cultivation systems, because
the plant is capable of growing on marginal soils,
restoring eroded areas and protecting other valua-
ble food or commercial crops (García et al., 2017).
Several studies conducted in Eastern Cuba by
Sotolongo et al. (2012) showed that J. curcas can be
associated with more than twenty food crops with-
out affecting the yields of the latter, which turned
out to be similar to the ones obtained with mono-
crop systems. In addition, if it is considered that
with the intercropping of the tree fruit productions
are obtained which can be used to produce biodiesel,
co-products of high value for animal feeding, ferti-
lizers and raw materials for other local industries,
higher benefit and better utilization of the space can
be estimated.

Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 90-97, 2018 / Yolai Noda-Leyva 91
Taking into consideration such elements, the
objective of the study was to determine the effect of
planting density on the morpho-productive traits of
J. curcas intercropped with food crops.
Location of the experimental area. The study
was conducted in the integrated food and energy
production farm of the Pastures and Forages Re-
search Station Indio Hatuey (EEPFIH), located
between 22° 48’ 7” North latitude and 81° 2’ West
longitude, at 19,01 m.a.s.l., in the Perico municipality
–Matanzas province, Cuba.
Soil and sowing characteristics. For the experi-
ment seeds of the Cape Verde provenance of J. cur-
cas were used. The sowing was carried out directly
in the field, in July, 2014, on a Ferralitic Red soil
(Hernández-Jiménez et al., 2015).
Design and treatments. The design was com-
pletely randomized, with four treatments. Each
plant constituted a replica and 20 plants were evalu-
ated per treatment, which are described below:
• System 1 (control): J. curcas in pure stand, planted
at 2,5 m between rows and 2,0 m between plants
(2 000 plants/ha).
• System 2: 50 % of the area with pure stand of
J. curcas, planted at 2,5 m between rows and 2,0 m
between plants, and 50 % of the area planted
only with annual crops under rotation (2 000
plants/ha).
• System 3: J. curcas intercropped with annual
crops under rotation, planted at 5,0 m between
rows and 2,0 m between plants (1 000 plants/ha).
• System 4: area planted only with annual crops
under rotation (control).
The studied factor was planting density (1 000
and 2 000 plants/ha). Systems 1 and 4 were the con-
trols, because pure stands of J. curcas and annual
crops under rotation were planted, respectively, and
served to compare the variables under study in each
case.
The crops under rotation were: beans (Phaseolus
vulgaris), sweet potato (Ipomea batata) and peanut
(Sesamun indicum), which were planted in different
seasons taking into consideration the climate de-
mands of each one.
In addition, soil studies were conducted, at
two depths: 0-15 and 15-30 cm (Anderson and In-
gram, 1993), in five different spots of the studied
area, to determine the content of nitrite (diazotiza-
tion method), nitrate (cadmium reduction method),
sulfur (chloride method), iron (bipyridyl method),
ammoniacal nitrogen (Nesslerization method), po-
tassium (tetraphenylboron method) and phosphorus
(ascorbic acid reduction method). All the analyses
were carried out in the soil portable laboratory
(SMART3 Soil 1.11) of the EEPFIH. Table 1 shows
the results for each depth. According to LaMotte
(2012), the soil is classified as of low fertility.
The morphological variables were studied
during the establishment. When the plants were
considered established, after reaching more than
2,5 m of height (12 months after planting), one ho-
mogenous pruning was performed on the entire
plantation, 40 cm over the soil basis, so that sever-
al productive branches were developed; and, at the
beginning of their fructification, the productive
variables were measured (January-March and Au-
gust-October); in both variables the recommenda-
tions made by Campuzano (2009) were used.
Morphological variables
• Plant height. It was measured from the basis of
the plant to the apex of the main stem, with a
graduated ruler, monthly, until 12 months after
planting.
• Number of primary branches per plant. The ones
inserted in the main stem were considered pri-
mary branches. The measurements started since
Table 1. Results of the soil analyses in the area.
Depth
(cm)
Nitrite Nitrate
Ammoniacal
nitrogen
Sulfur Potassium Phosphorus Iron
(kg/ha)
0-15 6,17 30,27 42,04 0,60 95,29 1,76 0
Level in the soil Moderate- high Moderate Moderate Low Moderate Low Very low
15-30 9,53 13,45 124,43 627,03 50,45 2,15 0,70
Level in the soil Moderate-high Moderate High Very high Low Low Very low

the fifth month after planting, when the plants
started their development, and were finished
when this stage was considered ended, at 12
months.
• Stem diameter in the basis. It was measured with
a metric tape, at a height of 10 cm from the soil
surface, when the plantation was considered es-
tablished.
• Diameter of the primary branches. It was meas-
ured with a metric tape, just 10 cm away from
the main stem.
Productive variables
• Number of racemes per plant (NR). The number
of racemes per plant was counted when fructifi-
cation was considered ended.
• Number of fruits per raceme (FR). The number
of fruits per raceme was counted, in two racemes
per plant.
• Harvested fruits (HF). The fruits that were gath-
ered per plant in each harvest were added.
• Seed weight, g (SW). The weight of 100 seeds
was quantified, with a scale.
• Seed length and width.
The rules for the planting and establishment of
the legumes were similar. For the beans and peanut
a planting distance of 70 cm between rows and 30
cm between plants was used, so that between two
rows of J. curcas were five rows of the crop un-
der rotation separated from the tree by 120 cm on
each side, for a total of 540 plants per plot, 2 160 m
per treatment; this represented a density of 168 750
plants/ha. Ten plants per plot were sampled, that is,
40 plants per treatment; and it was taken into con-
sideration that they were within the defined net area
for the J. curcas crop.
For planting I. batata, cuttings from 25 to 30 cm
long, were used, which were placed at 30 cm of
distance each, for a density of 500 000 cuttings/ha.
Such planting was carried out on humid soil, guaran-
teeing that two thirds of the cuttings were buried at
a depth of 7-10 cm and putting them as horizontally
as possible with regards to the plot (INIVIT, 2007).
For each crop the agricultural yield was deter-
mined (t/ha), according to the methodology pro-
posed by IPGRI (2001) and Huamán (1991) for the
legumes and the tuber, respectively.
Statistical analysis. A simple classification
ANOVA was used, after verifying that the as-
sumptions of variance homogeneity and normal
distribution were fulfilled. The means were com-
pared by Duncan’s test, for a significance level of
p ≤ 0,05. For the variables number of fruits per ra-
ceme, weight and size of the seeds, the minimum
and maximum indicators were described, based
on descriptive statistics. In addition, the correla-
tion analysis was used to know the interrelation
among the variables plant height, number of prima-
ry branches and quantity of racemes per plant. The
yield of the associated crops was descriptively com-
pared according to the evaluated treatments. For all
the processing the statistical package Infostat, ver-
sion 1.1, was used.
Figure 1 shows the mean height of the plants,
according to the planting density used. As plant
density per hectare increased, the stem height
throughout the evaluation period increased, with
significant differences (p < 0,05) from the treat-
ment with lower density.
These results can be related to the effect of
shade among the plants sown at higher planting
density, which increases the concentration of auxins,
by reducing the luminosity that has incidence on
these tissues, and causes cell enlargement; this is
due to the fact that, under shade conditions, the in-
doleacetic acid increases and acts in a synergic way
with gibberellins (Raposo et al., 2014).
Bharti et al. (2016) stated that the increase in
the population density of diverse crops causes plant
height to increase since 30 to 75 days after planting.
In addition, according to these authors, the plants
established at lower density grow approximately
31 % less than the ones established at higher density.
The J. curcas plants, after 12 months, reached a
mean height higher than 3 m. In this regard, Iguarán
et al. (2017) described the species as a tree capable
of reaching between 3 and 5 m or more in full de-
velopment (five years), moment in which other mor-
phological and productive traits can also reach their
highest degree of quantitative expression.
The number of primary branches that were devel-
oped in each treatment due to planting density is
shown in figure 2. There were significant differences
among the densities (p < 0,05), and the highest value
was found with 2 000 plants/ha. System 2 did not
differ from the control (System 1) in any of the ob-
servations, and both reached nine primary branches
at the end of the establishment period.
In J. curcas, the quantity of primary branches
the plant develops is a very important variable for
the crop production, because the inflorescences are
formed on the terminal ends of branches (Kumar et

al., 2016); if it is taken into consideration that from
each primary branch other secondary and tertiary
ones must be originated; this would lead propor-
tionally to the formation of more fruit racemes per
plant in those that develop more primary branches.
Machado (2011), when morphologically and
productively characterizing a collection of J. curcas,
reported that the primary branches were developed in
a range between 2 and 10. In addition, he stated
that some provenances did not emit secondary and/
or tertiary branches during the evaluation period;
nevertheless, their growth was delayed. In this
study the second and third order branches were
not evaluated, because performing one pruning a
year after planting to induce the production of more
branches was established, as agronomic manage-
ment of the plantation (Córdova-Mendoza, 2017).
The stem diameter means varied between
5,06 and 5,54 cm for 2 000 and 1 000 plants/ha,
respectively. Regarding the diameter of the prima-
ry branches, the values did not exceed 2 cm. There
were no significant differences among the treat-
ments for any of the variables (table 2).
Machado (2011) reported means for the stem
diameter between 3,4 and 8,4 cm, and for the pri-
mary branches between 1,6 and 4,1 cm. The author
states that this is a varietal characteristic, which can
also vary if other factors influence development,
such as planting density.
However, in this study the absence of significant
differences between densities can be ascribed to the
little time of plant establishment at the moment of
evaluation; thus, they did not have sufficient time to
express differences in the stem diameter, because

during the first year after planting they prioritized
their growth and for that purpose they used all the
reserve, which was remarkably shown through the
height they reached. It is likely that this aspect be-
haves differently as the exploitation time passes
(Campuzano et al., 2016).
Table 3 shows the productive characteristics
of J. curcas due to the planting density. System 3
(1 000 plants/ha) showed more racemes, and differed
from the higher density in systems 1 and 2 (p < 0,05).
Such effect could have been given by the ac-
cumulation of reserves in the plant, because by
developing less height and less primary branches
the distribution of the necessary compounds for the
flowering and fructification processes are benefit-
ted (Avilán et al., 2003). Such arguments could be
verified through the correlation analyses.
In system 3 more fruits were obtained per
raceme, between 1 and 12, numerically different
values from the other treatments, even higher
than those of the control (table 3). Such aspect is
important, if it is taken into consideration that in
this treatment the planting distance was 5 x 2 m and
that annual crops were associated with J. curcas; in
that sense, it will be possible to increase the fruit
production of the tree and utilize the area better,
by obtaining additional foodstuffs (Moreno, 2014).
There were significant differences in the quan-
tity of harvested fruits, according to planting densi-
ty; in each evaluation a different performance was
observed for this variable (table 3). Initially, the
control significantly differed from the other treat-
ments (p < 0,05), with a total of 546 fruits; but when
carrying out the later harvests, it was possible to
collect a higher quantity in system 3.
Nevertheless, when adding the total harvest-
ed fruits no significant differences were found
between systems 1 and 3. These results constitute
the first ones obtained in this topic, about which no
bibliography was found, so it is difficult to compare
this with other studies. In addition, although J. cur-
cas is acknowledged as a plant of high variability
among different environments, this research will
serve as basis for future projections, from the plant
densities to be used per hectare and the utilization
of association systems, because the results suggest
that planting J. curcas at 5 x 2 m propitiates similar
yields as when it is planted at 2,5 x 2,0 m and other
foodstuffs are also produced.
Table 2. Effect of planting density on the diameter of the stem and primary
branches in J. curcas.
Planting density
(plants/ha)
System Stem diameter
in the base (cm)
Diameter of the primary
branches (cm)
2 000 1 5,26 1,16
2 000 2 5,06 1,93
1 000 3 5,54 2,00
SE ± 0,84 0,06
Table 3. Effect of planting distance on the production of J. curcas.
Evaluation
Average quantity of
racemes per plant
Number of fruits per raceme
Total productivity1
Minimum-maximum
System
1 2 3 SE ± 1 2 3 1 2 3 SE ±
1 6b
2c
8a
0.7* 1-8 1-6 1-12 546a
20c
314b
10,2*
2 - - - - - - - 66b
36c
195a
6,1*
3 - - - - - - - 140b
55c
180a
8,3*
4 - - - - - - - 30b
10c
68a
4,2*
1
Harvested fruits per system.
a, b, c Values with different superscripts differ at P<0,05, * P<0,05

As shown in table 4, there was a high (p < 0,05)
and positive (r = 0,84) correlation between height
and the development of primary branches. How-
ever, these variables were not correlated with the
quantity of racemes per plant, because low coeffi-
cients (r = 0,24 and 0,46, respectively) were found.
in a study conducted by Brunet (2012) marked
differences were found in these indicators due to the
evaluated provenance. Another important aspect in
such study was that Cape Verde was ranked among
the most outstanding ones, which favored that
afterwards significant yields were obtained that
differed from those of the other accessions.
The productive response (table 6), in all the
cases, was numerically higher for system 4 (annual
crop, control), with yield of 1,9 t/ha; however, this
value was similar to that of system 3 (1,0 t/ha).
They are similar to the mean values reported for
Cuban conditions. In this regard, Fé-Montenegro et
al. (2016) reported annual yields of 0,6 t/ha for the
state sector and 1,1 t/ha for the non-state sector.
When I. batata was intercropped between the
J. curcas rows (system 3), 4,2 t/ha of the tuber
were obtained, although when compared with the
control (system 4) there were 2,7 t/ha of difference.
Nevertheless, Sotolongo et al. (2012) stated that
when associating food crops with J. curcas, their
yields decrease by 30 % with regards to monocrop,
as corroborated in this study. However, the losses
are not significant, if the additional production of
the shrub is taken into consideration, because its
fruits can be used in the production of biodiesel and
other byproducts.
The S. indicum yields were considered low for
system 2 (0,2 t/ha) and moderate for system 3 (0,3 t/ha);
both, when compared with system 4, turned out to
be numerically lower. These yields were below the
range reported by MAG (1991).
Table 4. Matrix of correlations of the
morpho-productive variables.
Indicator Height PB QRP
Height -
PB 0,84* -
QRP 0,24 0,46 -
PB: primary branches, QRP: quantity of racemes
per plant.
*The correlation is significant at the level of 0,05.
In spite of the absence of bibliography about
these topics for J. curcas, different performances
have been observed in other trees. In that sense,
Wencomo (2008) described a high and positive
correlation among yield, height and number of
branches in Leucaena spp.
These results corroborate the ones reported by
Machado (2011), who evaluated 18 provenances
and obtained a fruit yield between 0 and 559, range
that is considered normal, because according to
Díaz-Hernández et al. (2013), in the first years low
productions are expected.
The weight and size of 100 seeds, according
to the effect of planting density, are shown in
table 5. The numerical values were similar in each
treatment, which could have occurred because in all
cases the Cape Verde provenance was used, because
Table 5. Effect of planting distance on the seed weight and size.
Planting density
(plants/ha)
System Weight of 100
seeds (g)
Seed length
(cm)
Seed width
(cm)
2 000 1 104,24 1,09 1,09
2 000 2 100,85 1,15 1,15
1 000 3 103,64 1,14 1,14
Table 6. Yield of the associated crops during the evaluated period.
Crop
Yield (t/ha)
System
2 3 4
P. vulgaris 0,9 1,0 1,9
I. batata 3,7 4,2 6,9
S. indicum 0,2 0,3 0,8

It is important to state that these are preliminary
reports of the first production year of J. curcas, in
which different planting frames were evaluated and
the association with annual crops was considere-
das; it is a technological option in tropical regions,
shows certain advantages for its diversification in
time and space, and also allows higher agrobiodi-
versity and distribution of economic resources and
higher tolerance to pests and diseases (Edrisi et al.,
2015).
In addition, according to Solís et al. (2015),
the yield of a species is lower when it is associated
than when it is in monocrop. Nevertheless, poly-
crops show higher production stability and low-
er risk through the years than monocrop; and for
the particular case of J. curcas, in Cuba there is an
«emptiness of knowledge» about the agronomic
performance of production systems of this species
in association with other crops.
It is concluded that when using 1 000 plants/
ha of J. curcas intercropped with annual crops un-
der rotation, such as P. vulgaris, I. batata and S.
indicum, the morphological traits, or the yields of
the tree or the associated plants, were not affected.
Thus, better utilization is made of the soil, space
and time; and diversity of plant species is obtained.
Likewise, it is recommended to continue these
studies at long term, as well as to evaluate the inci-
dence of other agronomic factors on J. curcas, tak-
ing into consideration the systems of associations
with annual food crops.
Anderson, J. M. & Ingram, J., Eds. Tropical soil bio-
logy and fertility. A handbook of methods. 2nd
ed. Wallingford, UK: CAB International, 1993.
Avilán, L.; Azkue, M.; Soto, E.; Rodriguez, M.; Ruiz,
J. & Escalante, H. Efecto de la poda y el empleo
de un regulador de crecimiento sobre el inicio de
la floración en mango. Rev. Fac. Agron. (LUZ).
20 (4):430-442, 2003.
Bharti, Archana; Vidyasagar, M. & Aranganathan, V.
Relative efficacy of phytohormones in promoting
fruit yield on Jatropha curcas for biodiesel pro-
duction. Int. J. Adv. Lif. Sci. 9 (4):445-452, 2016.
Brunet, J. Caracterización de procedencias de Jatro-
pha curcas L. en la EEPF Indio Hatuey. Trabajo
de diploma para optar por el título de Ingenie-
ro Agrónomo. Matanzas, Cuba: Universidad de
Matanzas, 2012.
Campuzano, L. F. Perspectivas de la investigación de
Jatropha curcas L. en Colombia. Parte I. Com-
ponente genético. Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Mede-
llín. 62 (3):51-63, 2009.
Campuzano, L. F.; Ríos, L. A. & Cardeño, F. Carac-
terización composicional del fruto de 15 varie-
dades de Jatropha curcas L. en el departamento
del Tolima, Colombia. Corpoica Cienc. Tecnol.
Agropecu. 17 (3):379-390, 2016.
Córdova-Mendoza, Eyka S. Efecto de tres dosis de
6- Benciladenina en el incremento de la flora-
ción de piñón blanco (Jatropha curcas L.)-Juan
Guerra-San Martín-Perú. Tesis para optar por el
título de Ingeniero Agrónomo. Tarapoto, Perú:
Universidad Nacional de San Martín, 2017.
Córdova, L.; Zavala, J. T.; Bautista, E.; Mártinez, Ma-
ría del R. & Hernández, Nancy Y. Producción de
semillas de Jatropha curcas, L.: elementos cla-
ve. En: F. J. Osuna-Canizalez, C. J. Atkinson, J.
M. P. Vázquez-Alvarado, E. J. Barrios-Gómez.,
M. Hernández-Arenas, S. E. Rangel-Estrada
y E. Cruz-Cruz, comps. Estado del arte en la
ciencia y tecnología para la producción y pro-
cesamiento de jatropha no tóxica. Publicación
Especial No. 60. Morelos, México: Secretaría de
Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca
y Alimentación, Instituto Nacional de Investiga-
ciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Centro
de Investigación Regional Pacífico Sur, Campo
Experimental Zacatepec. p. 39-46, 2015.
Díaz-Hernández, Brenda G.; Aguirre-Medina, J. F. &
Díaz-Fuentes, V. H. Rendimiento de Jatropha
curcas L. inoculada con micorriza y aplicación
de composta de caña. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc.
4 (4):599-610, 2013.
Edrisi, S. A.; Dubey, R. K.; Tripathi, V.; Bakshi, Man-
si; Srivastava, P.; Jamil, Sarah et al. Jatropha
curcas L.: A crucified plant waiting for resurgen-
ce. Renew. Sust. Energ. Rev. 45:855-862, 2015.
Fé-Montenegro, C. F. de la; Lamz-Piedra, A.; Cárde-
nas-Travieso, Regla & Hernández-Pérez, J. Res-
puesta agronómica de cultivares de frijol común
(Phaseolus vulgaris L.) de reciente introducción
en Cuba. Cultivos Tropicales. 37 (2):102-107,
2016.
Folegatti, M.; Alves, Patricia; Ferreira, Thais M.; Al-
meida, C.; Flumignan, D.; Valentim, A. et al.
Evapotranspiração e coeficiente de cultivo do
pinhão-manso a partir do terceiro ano de cultivo
e em função de diferentes tipos de poda. Projeto
de pesquisa. São Paulo, Brasil: Universidade de
São Paulo Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz
de Queiroz”, 2013.
García, Florencia; García, E.; Pérez, A. & Ruíz, O.
Contenido de aceite en accesos de Jatropha cur-
cas L. no tóxica en Veracruz, México. Rev. Mex.
Cienc. Agríc. 8 (3):635-648, 2017.
González, R.; Juárez, J. R.; Aceves, L. A.; Rivera, B.
& Guerrero, A. Zonificación edafoclimática para
el cultivo de Jatropha curcas L., en Tabasco,

México. Investigaciones Geográficas. Boletín
del Instituto de Geografía. 86:25-37, 2015.
Hernández-Jiménez, A.; Pérez-Jiménez, J. M.;
Bosch-Infante, D. & Castro-Speck, N. Clasifica-
ción de los suelos de Cuba. Mayabeque, Cuba:
Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas, Insti-
tuto de Suelos, Ediciones INCA, 2015.
Huamán, Z., Ed. Descriptors for sweet potato. Rome:
International Board for Plant Genetic Resources,
1991.
Iguarán, C.; Cabrales, R. & Marrugo, J. L. Evalua-
ción agronómica de la calidad del aceite de
Jatropha curcas en Córdoba. Memorias III Se-
minario Internacional de Ciencias Ambientales
SUE-Caribe. Barranquilla, Colombia: Sistema
Universitario Estatal del Caribe. p. 217-220, 2017.
INIVIT. Instructivo técnico del cultivo del Ipomea
batata. Villa Clara, Cuba: Instituto de Investiga-
ciones de Viandas Tropicales, 2007.
IPGRI. Descriptores para Phaseolus vulgaris. Rome:
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute,
2001.
Kumar, A.; Patil, N. S.; Kumar, R. & Mandal, D. Irri-
gation scheduling and fertilization improves pro-
duction potential of Jatropha (Jatropha curcas
L.). A review. Int. J. Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci.
6 (5):1703-1716, 2016.
LaMotte. Smart3 Soil. Operator´s manual. Ches-
tertown, USA: LaMotte. http://www.lamotte.
com/ images/pdf/instructions/1985-05-MN.pdf.
[15/12/2017], 2012.
Machado, R. Caracterización morfológica y producti-
va de procedencias de Jatropha curcas L. Pastos
y Forrajes. 34 (3):267-279, 2011.
Machado, R. & Suárez, J. Comportamiento de tres
procedencias de Jatropha curcas en el banco de
germoplasma de la EEPF “Indio Hatuey”. Pastos
y Forrajes. 32 (1):29-37, 2009.
MAG. Aspectos técnicos sobre cuarenta y cinco cul-
tivos agrícolas de Costa Rica. San José, Costa
Rica: Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería,
1991.
Moreno, J. G. F. Experiencias en el manejo del
cultivo de jatropha bajo condiciones de rie-
go y temporal en el norte de Sinaloa. Sinaloa,
México: Fundación Produce Sinaloa. https://
www.google.com.cu/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&es-
rc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uac-
t=8&ved=0ahUKEwimw5WN8LLaAhWPt-
1MKHRtvBjcQFggmMAA&url=http%3A%-
2F%2Fwww.fps.org.mx%2Fportal%2Findex.
php%2Fcomponent%2Fphocadownload%2Fca-
tegory%2F35-otros%3Fdownload%3D166%3Aex-
periencias-en-el-manejo-del-cultivo-de-ja-
tropha-bajo-condiciones-de-riego-y-temporal
-en-el-norte-de-sinaloa&usg=AOvVaw1xlir-
7m2h5QRgVv44mEawZ. [10/05/2017], 2014.
Rade, Diana Y.; Cañadas, A.; Zambrano, C.; Molina,
C.; Ormaza, Alexandra & Wehenkel, C. Viabi-
lidad económica y financiera de sistemas silvo-
pastoriles con Jatropha curcas L. en Manabí,
Ecuador. Revista MVZ Córdoba. 22 (3):6241-
6255, 2017.
Raposo, R. S.; Souza, I. G.; Veloso, M. E.; Kobayashi,
A. K.; Laviola, B. G. & Diniz, F. M. Develop-
ment of novel simple sequence repeat markers
from a genomic sequence survey database and
their application for diversity assessment in Ja-
tropha curcas germplasm from Guatemala. Ge-
net. Mol. Res. 13 (3):6099-6106, 2014.
Rucoba, A.; Munguía, A. & Sarmiento, F. Entre la ja-
tropha y la pobreza: reflexiones sobre la produc-
ción de agrocombustibles en tierras de temporal
en Yucatán. Estudios Sociales. Hermosillo, Son.
21 (41):115-141, 2013.
Solís, J. L.; Pecina, V.; Reyes, A. L.; Martínez, B.
B.; Zamarripa, A.; López, L. J. et al. Compor-
tamiento agronómico, energético y emisiones de
gases de piñón mexicano (Jatropha curcas L.).
En: F. J. Osuna, comp. Estado del arte en la cien-
cia y tecnología para la producción y procesa-
miento de Jatropha no tóxica. Morelos, México:
INIFAP. p. 39-46, 2015.
Sotolongo, J. A.; Suárez, J.; Martín, G. J.; Toral, Odalys
& Reyes, F. Producción integrada de biodiesel
y alimentos: la concepción de una tecnología
agroindustrial apropiada para Cuba. Memorias
II Convención Agrodesarrollo 2012. Matanzas,
Cuba: EEPF Indio Hatuey. p. 476-481, 2012.
Wencomo, Hilda. Evaluación morfoagronómica e
isoenzimática y selección de accesiones de Leu-
caena spp. con fines silvopastoriles. Tesis pre-
sentada en opción al grado científico de Doctor
en Ciencias Agrícolas. Mayabeque, Cuba: Insti-
tuto Nacional de Ciencias Agrícolas, 2008.
Received: June 23, 2017
Accepted: February 2, 2018

98 Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 98-104, 2018 / Mineral nutrition of corn hydroponic green forage
Scientific Paper
Effect of mineral nutrition on the yield and bromatological characteristics
of corn hydroponic green forage
Freddy Soto-Bravo1
and Carolina Ramírez-Víquez2
1
Estación Experimental Agrícola Fabio Baudrit Moreno, Facultad de Ciencias Agroalimentarias, Escuela de Agronomía,
Universidad de Costa Rica, Apdo. postal 183-4050, Alajuela, Costa Rica
2
Universidad de Costa Rica, San José
E-mail: freddy.sotobravo@ucr.ac.cr
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of mineral nutrition, applied through nutritional solutions,
on the fresh yield (FY) and bromatological characteristics of corn hydroponic green forage (HGF). The study was
conducted in a greenhouse located in the Agricultural Research Station Fabio Baudrit Moreno, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Two treatments of nutritional solution were applied: 1) with high (Nh
), and 2) with low (Nl
) concentration of mineral
nutrients, and a control with water (Te
), distributed in an unrestricted randomized design. The seed was selected;
prepared through washing, disinfection, imbibition, draining and aeration; it was pregerminated in humidity chamber
(3 days) on plastic trays (density of 3 kg m-2
); and was transferred to the greenhouse, where it remained during 11 days
until harvest. In general, no significant differences were found among the treatments, and the average values were:
15,3 kg m-2
of FY; 20,01 % of crude protein; 18,95 % of crude fiber; 1,48 % of lignin; 44,27 % of neutral detergent fiber;
0,96 % of nitrogen of the neutral detergent fiber; 22,09 % of acid detergent fiber; 0,24 % nitrogen of the acid detergent
fiber; 4,5 % of ash; 7,44 % of ether extract; 88,6 % of dry matter digestibility; and 3,2 Mcal kg DM-1
of metabolizable
energy. It is concluded that the application of mineral nutrients through nutritional solution did not affect the fresh
yield or bromatological indicators, and the potential of utilization of the corn hydroponic green forage as feeding
source in animal production was proven.
Keywords: digestibility, crude protein, nutritional solution, nutritional value
Introduction
Forage availability, in the traditional system of
animal feeding based on extensive grazing in open
field, faces a series of contrasts associated with cli-
mate change and the world crisis of water, such as:
land flooding, scarcity of arable lands, water salini-
ty, increase in the cost of fertilizers and labor, long
growth periods and natural phenomena (Naik et al.,
2015).
An alternative in animal feeding can be
hydroponic green forage, because it shows a series of
advantages with regards to the conventional forage
productionsysteminopenrange.Thehydroponicgreen
forage is obtained from the germination of seeds or
grains, and can be used as nutritional supplement
in different animal species, because it shows and
excellent protein percentage (Contreras et al., 2015),
an adequate balance in the soluble fiber/insoluble
fiber ratio, high DM digestibility (Gómez-Burneo,
2008) and good energy contribution (Bedolla-
Torres et al., 2015).
The intensive production of hydroponic green
forage in protected environments is less vulnerable
to climate changes; allows programmed and periodic
production throughout the year, with efficient water
use (Al-Karaki and Al-Hashimi, 2012), and a reduc-
tion of fertilizers, agrochemicals and labor (Candia,
2014).
In the production of hydroponic green forage
different species have been used, among them
grasses and legumes. Some studies evaluated the
quality of hydroponic green forage in corn [(Zea
mayz L.) (Naik et al., 2017)], sorghum [(Sorghum
bicolor L.) (Gonzales-Díaz and García-Reyes 2015)]
barley [(Hordeum vulgare L.) (Quispe-Cusi et al.,
2016)], wheat [(Triticum aestivum L.) (Contreras
et al., 2015)], rice [(Oriza sativa L.) (Maldonado et
al., 2013)], and in mixtures of cereals and legumes
(Contreras et al., 2015). However, only a reduced
number studied the quality of hydroponic green
forage in response to the application of nutritional
solutions; for example: in corn (Acosta et al., 2016),
wheat (Maldonado et al., 2013), barley (Quispe
et al., 2016) and sorghum (Gonzales-Díaz and
García-Reyes, 2015). In several of these studies, an
absolute control with water without nutrients was
used; and in some bromatological indicators simi-

Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 98-104, 2018 / Freddy Soto-Bravo 99
lar values to others in which nutritional solution in
irrigation was applied, were obtained (Naik et al.,
2017); which generates uncertainty with regards to
the need of using mineral nutrition in the produc-
tion of hydroponic green forage.
In the reviewed literature, it was found that the
concentration of mineral nutrients in the nutritional
solution varied widely. For example, in the case of
nitrogen, the ranges fluctuated between 5 mg L-1
(Rivera et al., 2010) and 250 mg L-1
(Vargas-Ro-
dríguez, 2008); while the iron concentrations, from
4,3 mg L-1
(Salas-Pérez et al., 2012) to 800 mg L-1
(Rivera et al., 2010). This variability is due to the di-
versity of factors which influence, such as climate,
genotype, planting density and days until harvest.
Taking into consideration the above-stated
facts, the objective of this study was to determine
whether mineral nutrition, applied through nutri-
tional solutions, affected the yield and bromatologi-
cal characteristics of corn hydroponic green forage,
and based on this basis define the need of fertilizer
application.
Experimental site. The study was conducted
in the Agricultural Research Station Fabio Baudrit
Moreno, located in San José de Alajuela, Costa Rica
(10º 01’ N, 84º 16’ W, at 840 m.a.s.l.), with monthly
average temperature values of 22 ºC, relative humidi-
ty of 78% and annual average rainfall of 1 940 mm.
A multi-tunnel greenhouse, 9,75 m wide and
50 m long, and with a height of 6 m at the center
of the tunnel and 4 m in the gutter, was used. The
greenhouse was built with galvanized iron, cover
of trilayer transparent polyethylene (200 µm) and
an anti-insect nylon mesh (43 x 28 threads inch-2
)
in the walls and the zenithal opening. The ventila-
tion system was passive, combined with the auto-
mated functioning of zenithal windows according
to the wind speed, which was monitored with an
anemometer.
Within the structure of hydroponic green forage
production, the air temperature and relative humidity
were monitored (Data logger HOBO U23 Pro v2)
every five minutes, recording the hour averages. The
maximum, minimum and average temperature and
relative humidity were 31,5; 19,7 and 23,9 ºC, and
97,4; 59,8 and 86,0 %, respectively.
Plant material. Corn seed was used, based
on its availability, high production volume and
low cost with regards to other imported materials
(Ramírez-Víquez, 2016); specifically of the local
variety Diamantes 8843, of free pollination, white
grain, with late maturity (120-135 days), fresh yield
of 3-6 t ha-1
and a wide range of adaptation to agro-
climatic conditions (INTA-AECI, 2005).
Treatments. Two treatments of nutritional solu-
tion (table 1) were applied: 1) high nutrient concen-
tration (Nh
), and 2) low nutrient concentration (Nl
);
and a control with water without nutrients (Te
).
The concentration of mineral nutrients in the
nutritional solution, for the treatments Nl
and Nh
, was
defined based on the ranges reported in literature
(Al-Karaki and Al-Hashimi, 2012; Candia, 2014),
and those values considered extreme were discarded.
The quantity of nutrients in Te
was in correspondence
with the concentration present in water.
Experimental procedure. The process of
hydroponic green forage production was carried out
according to the proposal made by Vargas-Rodríguez
(2008),andincludedseedpreparation,pre-germination
and growth stage. In turn, seed preparation included:
selection, cleaning, pre-washing, disinfection and
imbibition.Disinfectionconsistedin:immersionofthe
seeds in a solution of 100 g L-1
of calcium hydroxide
(8 h) washing of the lime and, finally, immersion for
5 min in Busamart® (TCMTB: benzothiazole) with a
dose of 1 ml L-1
. Later the TCMTB residue in the seeds
was rinsed away; they were aerated under ambient
conditions (1 h) and were subject to an imbibition
process, submerging them in water during a period of
10 h.
Table 1. Concentration of macro- and micronutrients in each treatment.
Treatment pH
Macro (mg L-1
) Micro (mg L-1
) ♦
EC
N Ca Mg K P Fe Zn Cu Mn Na S (mS cm-1
)
Control (Te
) 8,3 6,2 12,6 5,4 3,6 0,3 ND ND ND ND 9,3 0,9 0,2
Low nutrition (Nl
) 6,7 94,6 94,2 22,3 145,6 18,4 0,3 0,1 0,1 ND 12,1 35 1,3
High nutrition (Nh
) 6,6 227 202,7 49,5 341,4 46,1 1,2 0,5 0,5 0,7 16,3 78,8 2,5
♦
EC: electrical conductivity (mS cm-1
), ND: not detectable.

100 Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 98-104, 2018 / Mineral nutrition of corn hydroponic green forage
The production process was carried out in a
cultivation cycle of 14 days, which included two
stages: I: germination (3 days), and II: growth (11
days). Once the imbibition was concluded, passive
runoff was carried out and the seeds were placed
on plastic trays, at a density of 3 kg m-2
according
to the reports for corn (Acosta et al., 2016; Naik et
al., 2017). Afterwards, they were put to germinate
in dark chamber, with relative humidity higher than
85 % and temperature of 23-25 ºC.
In the growth stage of the hydroponic green forage
the protection paper of the germinated seeds on the
trays was withdrawn, and they were transferred to
a production area located within the greenhouse.
Such area consisted in a structure 3 m long; 1,3 m
wide and 2 m high, with five horizontal shelves
separated by 0,40 m. The structure was vertically
divided in three sections, which were randomly as-
signed to each of the three treatments. Each vertical
section was composed by five shelves, and each one
contained four repetitions.
The irrigation system was composed by: a)
storage tanks, b) feed pumps, c) pipelines (PVC of
19 mm), d) self-compensating micro-sprayers, e)
pressure regulators, and f) manometers. Each shelf
or level had four irrigation lines (PE of 16 mm), pro-
vided with two sprayers each, for a total of 20 lines
and 40 sprayers throughout the structure.
For the preparation of the nutritional solutions
hydrosoluble fertilizers were used, such as mono-
potassium phosphate, potassium sulfate, magne-
sium sulfate, calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate and
a pre-mixture of micronutrients. Afterwards, they
were stored in two tanks identified as Nh
and Nl
for
the treatments with high and low nutrient concen-
tration, respectively.
The nutritional solutions were applied in each
irrigation event, through fertigation by nebuliza-
tion. The irrigation programming was done by fixed
times through a timer, with a duration of 15 seconds
and a frequency every 45 minutes, in a time interval
between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. in each treatment the
water inputs and outputs in the cultivation systems
were recorded, during 11 days of the cultivation cy-
cle (table 2).
Response variables. At the end of the cultiva-
tion cycle the yield (kg m-2
) was determined, from
the fresh weight (FW) obtained per tray (0,165 m2
).
As bromatological variables, the following were
determined: crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF),
acid detergent lignin (lignin), neutral detergent fi-
ber (NDF), nitrogen of the neutral detergent fiber
(NNDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), nitrogen of
the acid detergent fiber (NADF), ash, ether extract
(EtE), dry matter digestibility (DMD) and metaboli-
zable energy (ME). The standardized analysis
methodologies of the laboratory of the Research
Center on Animal Nutrition (CINA, 2015) were
used: a) Official Association of Agricultural Chemists
(AOAC) 942.05, 2) AOAC 920.39, 3) AOAC 962.69,
4) AOAC 2001.11, and 5) AOAC 996.17.
The DMD (%) was estimated from the ADF
content, according to the equation: DMD = 88,9 -
(% ADF x 0,779), proposed by Di Marco (2011). The
ME (Mcal kg-1
DM-1
) was estimated from the DMD,
according to the procedure described by Di Marco
(2011), using the equation ME = 3,61 x (DMD/100).
The samples were taken from the center of each
tray, in order to discard the edge effect. In each
treatment the sample by repetition corresponded
to a composite sample of all the repetitions present
in each of the five shelves, in order to obviate the
effect of the reduction of sunlight, according to the
descending position from the top to the lowest shelf.
Experimental design and statistical analysis.
An unrestricted random design was used, with four
Table 2. Water balance for the production of corn hydroponic green forage in the
different treatments.
Indicator in the production system
Treatment
Control Low nutrition High nutrition
Inputs (L m-2
) Irrigation 11,7 12,1 8,9
Outputs (L m-2
)
Lateral losses 4,1 4,1 2,6
Drainage 3,3 4 0,6
ETc
3,6 3,1 5,1
Total outputs 11 11,2 8,3
Balance (L m-2
) 0,6 0,9 0,5

Pastos y Forrajes, Vol. 41, No. 2, April-June, 98-104, 2018 / Freddy Soto-Bravo 101
repetitions in each of the five shelves within the
production structure. Each repetition corresponded
to a plastic tray (0,55 m x 0,30 m = 0,165 m2
) with
hydroponic green forage. Between treatments,
there was a forage tray used as edge. The data of the
response variables were subject to the verification of
normality and homoscedasticity, using the computer
program INFOSTAT (Di Rienzo et al., 2017).
When those assumptions were fulfilled, the data
were subject to variance analysis (ANOVA) and
multiple mean comparison using LSD FISHER,
with a probability level of 0,05.
Results
At the end of the cultivation cycle, the nutrition
treatments did not affect the fresh yield of corn hy-
droponic green forage, with values of 15,20; 15,27
and 15,37 kg m-2
for Te
, Nl
y Nh
, respectively. There
was no effect either on the CP, CF, lignin, NDF and
ADF contents.
The averages of the bromatological variables
are shown in table 3. For the variables NNDF and
NADF, the treatment Te
differed from Nh
and Nl
,
without statistical differences between the last two.
The average of all the treatments was 0,95 % for
NNDF and 0,24 % for NNDF.
The ash and EtE contents showed statistical
differences (p < 0,05) among treatments (table 4).
Nh
showed an ash content slightly higher than that
of Te
and Nl
, without differences between the last
two. For the EtE, there were no significant differences
between Te
and Nl
, which differed from Nh
. On the
other hand, there was no effect of mineral nutrition
on the DMD or on the ME content, with averages of
88,6 % and 3,20 Mcal kg DM-1
, respectively (table 4).
Discussion
The application of the low and high concen-
trations of nutrients in nutritional solution, through
irrigation did not affect the fresh yield or the bromato-
logical quality of the corn hydroponic green forage.
The results showed that, to obtain acceptable yields
and good bromatological quality of the forage, the
application of mineral nutrition was not necessary.
Table 3. Bromatological variables in the corn hydroponic green forage.
Treatment
Variable (%)
CP CF Lignin NDF NNDF ADF NADF
Control (Te
) 19,27 19,61 1,30 45,05 0,86a
22,40 0,21a
Low nutrition (Nl
) 20,06 18,75 1,55 43,20 0,98b
21,88 0,27b
High nutrition (Nh
) 20,69 18,50 1,58 44,55 1,03b
21,98 0,25b
Average 20,01 18,95 1,50 44,27 0,95 22,09 0,24
VC 6,26 4,72 13,51 3,08 4,62 4,64 7,99
P value 0,3221 0,2363 0,1531 0,1955 0,0009 0,7508 0,0028
Values with different letters in the same column indicate significant differences among
treatments (p < 0,05).
Table 4. Content of ash, ether extract, dry matter digestibility and
metabolizable energy.
Treatment
Variable
Ash (%) EtE (%) DMD (%) ME (Mcal kg DM-1
)
Control (Te
) 4,10a
7,95b
88,63 3,22
Low nutrition (Nl
) 4,07a
7,50b
88,60 3,20
High nutrition (Nh
) 5,32b
6,87 a
88,55 3,21
Average 4,5 7,44 88,59 3,21
VC 7,77 4,28 0,07 0,08
P value 0,0009 0,0032 0,2955 0,2437
Values with different letters in the same column indicate significant differences
among treatments (p < 0,05).

Pastos y Forrajes vol41n2 del 2018

Pastos y Forrajes vol41n2 del 2018

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Pastos y Forrajes vol41n2 del 2018

Similar to Pastos y Forrajes vol41n2 del 2018 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Pastos y Forrajes vol41n2 del 2018