It was assessedthe nutritive value of hand plucked forage samples collected along the grazingperiod and the animal performance on Mombaçagrass pasture under intermittentstocking with three rest periods (RP). The RPs were defined by the time requiredfor the expansion of 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 new leaves per tiller, after six daysgrazing period. The experimental area was divided into five paddocks for the2.5 new leaves RP and six paddocks for the 3.5 and 4.5 new leaves RPs. Fivecrossbreed (Holstein x Zebu) steers were randomly assigned to each treatment(RP) as tester animals; put and taken steers were used to assure residual leafarea index of about 2.0, by the end of each grazing period. A NPK fertilizationof 100; 25 and 100 kg/ha of N, P2O5 and K2O,respectively, divided into two applications, was broadcasted on each paddockat the beginning and middle of the experimental period. The following evaluationswere performed: chemical composition and in vitro dry matter digestibilityof hand plucked forage samples, forage intake and live weight gain of testeranimals. The rest period had less effect on forage nutritive value than thegrazing period; still, the rest period affected steer live weight gains. Thelongest RP resulted in low animal performance (433 g/steer ´ day)and yield (363 kg BW/ha); on the other hand, the shortest RP favored highanimal performance (704 g/steer ´day) and yield (546 kg BW/ha). It is concluded that rest period of Panicummaximum cv. Mombaça should not exceed the time for the expansionof 2.5 new leaves per tiller, which varied from 24 to 41 days over the experimentalperiod.
