Browse from Three Tree Legumes Increases Forage Production for Cattle in a Silvopastoral System in the Southwest Amazon

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Unsustainable cattle ranching in the Amazon leads to land degradation and incentivizes deforestation. Planting trees in pastures (‘silvopasture’ or ‘silvopastoral systems’) is a novel approach that has the potential to increase the sustainability of cattle production in the Amazon. Trees provide additional feed whilst also enhancing biodiversity, capturing carbon and improving soil quality. We measured the potential contribution of tree forage to pasture-fed cattle at a trial farm in Peru. Three leguminous tree species (Erythrina berteroana, Inga edulis and Leucaena leucocephala) were planted with grass, and their productivity was compared to plots containing only grass. We compared destructive and non-destructive methodologies that estimated intake of tree forage by browsing cattle. We found that fresh tree foliage of the three tree species was palatable to cattle and could be directly browsed. Cattle mostly foraged below 1.6 m and consumed 99% of available foliage from E. berteroana, 75% of available forage from I. edulis and 80% of available forage from L. leucocephala. Plots containing trees and grass produced more forage biomass (mean > 2.2 Mg ha(−1)) than grass only plots (mean = 1.5 Mg ha(−1)). This research highlights the potential for sustainable intensification of livestock production in the Amazon. ABSTRACT: Assessing the palatability of forage from locally adapted trees could improve the sustainability of livestock production systems. However, grasses continue to dominate livestock feed across the Amazon. We established a silvopastoral cattle farming system in Peru, comparing three different forage tree species with grass monocultures using a randomised block design. Trees were arranged in alleys of 0.5 × 7.5 m, planted alongside grass, and were directly browsed by cattle. Browse removal was estimated by three methods: destructive sampling, canopy measurements and leaf counts. We found that all three tree species were palatable to cattle. Plots containing trees and grass produced more available forage (mean > 2.2 Mg ha(−1)) for cattle than the grass monocultures (mean = 1.5 Mg ha(−1)). Destructive sampling below 1.6 m demonstrated that cattle consumed 99% of the available Erythrina berteroana forage, 75% of the available Inga edulis forage and 80% of the available Leucaena leucocephala forage in 8 days. This research demonstrates methodologies to estimate the intake of locally adapted browse species by cattle and highlights the potential benefits of silvopastoral systems in the Amazon. Planting trees could also benefit animal health and provide ecosystem services such as soil regeneration, enhanced nutrient cycling and carbon capture.