What Factors Control the Crude Protein Content Variation of a Basaltic Campos Native Grassland of South America?

Native grasslands are the main source of food for livestock in the Campos region of South America. These forage resources are heterogeneous in species composition, grazing management, and soil fertility within a context of variable climate, all of which are factors that affect forage crude protein content over time and space. Despite the importance of protein in livestock nutrition, there is a gap in the knowledge of how fertilisation, sward height, and soil water availability influence the crude protein content of these grasslands. We used data from a long-term fertilisation experiment to construct a structural model aiming to identify the main factors influencing forage crude protein content of a basaltic native grassland in northern Uruguay. The structural model revealed that both fertilisation and the increase in soil water availability (through the improvement of the nitrogen content of green leaves) are the main pathways by which forage crude protein content increases. This new approach (which identifies and quantifies the main factors that drive forage crude protein content of native grasslands) could be used to support prediction models for forage protein content in order to improve grazing livestock nutrition of Campos native grasslands.

Automated summary

This study constructed a structural model based on a long-term fertilisation experiment to identify the main factors influencing forage crude protein content in native grasslands. The results revealed that both fertilisation and increased soil water availability are the main pathways by which forage crude protein content increases. This new approach could be used to improve grazing livestock nutrition by predicting forage protein content in Campos native grasslands.