Pasture potentialities in family farming production systems in Los Ríos province, Ecuador, during the Summer

The aim of this study is to determine the potentialities of the most used grasses in family production systems in Los Ríos province, Ecuador, during the summer. The study was carried out in research areas and in the Ruminology and Nutritional Metabolism Laboratory of the Quevedo State Technical University. The species most used in livestock systems were selected to carry out studies of productive behavior (total biomass, total DMY, leaves and stems) and quality (DM, CP, ashes, OM, P, Ca, NDF, ADF, Lignin, Cel, Hcel, CC, IVDMD, ISDMD, OMD, ME and NLE), which underwent cluster analysis to group species with similarity. For production and chemical composition, three main components were obtained with eigenvalues greater than one and that explain 87.27 % of the variability between varieties. In component one, 11 indicators related to protein, energy and the structural components of the cell were shown with values of preponderance greater than 0.75. For the cluster analysis, five groups were formed, with the best results for the third group, made up of M. maximus with high values in CP, leaf/stem ratio, ISDMD and ME. All this information would contribute to the design of technological alternatives for sowing, establishment, management, and use of its biomass as a food source where the productivity and sustainability of the ecosystem are minimized.