Banca de DEFESA: RODRIGO ALVES DE SIQUEIRA

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : RODRIGO ALVES DE SIQUEIRA
DATE: 27/02/2026
TIME: 13:00
LOCAL: DEPARTAMENTO DE ZOOTECNIA
TITLE:

HARVEST MANAGEMENT OF CUNHÃ (Clitoria ternatea L.): MORPHOLOGICAL AND REPRODUCTIVE IMPLICATIONS, FORAGE ACCUMULATION, AND SUPPORT FOR POLLINATION

KEY WORDS:

Keywords: forage legume, cutting management, plant morphology, ecosystem services, floral visitors.

PAGES: 53
BIG AREA: Ciências Agrárias
AREA: Zootecnia
SUBÁREA: Pastagem e Forragicultura
SPECIALTY: Fisiologia de Plantas Forrageiras
SUMMARY:

Cunhã (Clitoria ternatea L.) stands out for the nutritional value of its forage and the continuous presence of flowers, which can attract floral visitors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different cutting frequencies (60, 75, 90, and 105 days) and cutting intensities (5, 10, and 20 cm) on morphostructural traits and floral visitation.

The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with split plots and four replications during the years 2024 and 2025. Reducing harvest frequency increased plant height (27 to 36 cm), canopy width (19 to 25 cm), and primary branch length (20 to 29 cm), reflecting greater forage accumulation. Lower cutting intensity promoted increases in all evaluated variables, resulting in higher production of flowers, pods, and seeds.

The native bee Arapuá (Trigona spinipes) was dominant in floral visitation, with frequencies ranging from 70 to 97% and constancy above 60%. Butterflies occurred at low frequency (< 10%), while Apis mellifera and Bombus sp. were recorded occasionally. The constancy of Arapuá showed a strong correlation with plant height and branch length, whereas the number of flowers was strongly correlated with the butterfly Euptoieta sp.

Harvest management with lower intensity and moderate frequency simultaneously favored plant structure, flowering, forage accumulation, and pollinator maintenance. Although visitor diversity was low, C. ternatea played an important ecological role by serving as a habitat and continuous source of floral resources for pollinators. Thus, harvest management of C. ternatea can be adjusted to improve plant morphology and forage accumulation while promoting support for the ecosystem service of pollination.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interno - MARCIO VIEIRA DA CUNHA
Interna - MERCIA VIRGINIA FERREIRA DOS SANTOS
Interno - VALDSON JOSE DA SILVA