Yield, Yield Components, and Nutritive Value of Perennial Forage Grass Grown under Supplementary Irrigation

Abstract

There is a distinct seasonality in the availability of feeds in the highlands of Ethiopia, reaching a peak and low levels towards the end of the rainy and dry season, respectively. Consequently, this trial was conducted to assess the yield performance and nutritive value of nine perennial grasses accessions from seven grass species under supplementary irrigation to produce feed year-round. The evaluated grasses species were two Urochloa (U. decumbens cv. ILRI-10871 and ILRI-13205), two Setaria (S. sphacelata cv. ILRI-143 and ILRI-6543), one Phalaris (Phalaris aquatica cv. Sirrosa), coloured Guinea (Panicum coloratum cv. Coloratum), Desho (Pennisetum glaucifolium cv. Kindu kosha), Napier (Pennisetum purpureum cv, ILRI-16791), and Rhodes (Chloris gayana cv. Massaba) variety. The experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design. The chemical compositions of the grasses were scanned by, the near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Results indicated that the plant height, dry matter, and crude protein yield were significantly affected by year, species ( P < 0.001 ), and their interaction ( P < 0.05 ). Moreover, species were significantly influenced in vitro dry matter digestible yield, relative feed value, and nutrient content (DM, CP, NDF, ADF, ADL, and IVDMD). Napier grass had superior in dry matter, crude protein, and in vitro dry matter digestible yield than the other perennial grasses species tested together. Thus, among the tested grasses species, Napier grass showed outstanding potential as a forage plant followed by Phalaris and Desho grass under supplementary irrigation in the central highland of Ethiopia.

Exploring the Nutritional Potential of Wild Grass Fodder for Mega Herbivore (Elephas maximus) in the Foothills of Western Ghats

“…The results were indirectly proportional to the ADF and NDF content ( Figure 6 ). The study was in agreement with the findings of Faji et al [ 26 ],who recorded the RFQ values in the range between 115.07% ( Chloris gyana ) and 122.92% ( Urochloa decumbens ).…”

“…According to Singh and Oosting [ 25 ], if the roughage contains above 65% NDF, it is considered as poor quality feed. This supports the findings of Faji et al, Gate et al and Megersa et al [ 20 , 26 , 27 ], who reported that the ADF and NDF contents were in the range of 35.33% ( Panicum aquatica ) to 42.03% ( Panicum coloratum ) and 64.89% ( Panicum aquatica ) to 71.62% ( Chloris gayana ); 29.80% to 52.80% (Bajra x Naiper hybrid) and 61.40% to 77.60% (Bajra x Naiper hybrid); and 42.33% ( Pennisetum unssetm ) to 54.99% ( Pennisetum sp.) and 72.45% ( Eustachys paspaloidsi ), respectively ( Figure 4 ).…”

Herbage Yield and Nutritive Value of Selected Grasses in Subhumid Agroecological Environments in Ethiopia

“…Kindu Kosha) varied with location (altitude) from high in Bishoftu to moderately low in Bako, from 12.94 to 9.67 t•ha −1 , respectively. Te current results for the dry matter yield of Desho grass were also lower than those reported in other studies conducted at higher altitudes in Ethiopia [36][37][38]. Tis is in agreement with Mengistu et al (2019), who indicated that highland environments were more ideal for the growth and development of Desho grass species.…”

“…Te dry matter yield obtained for Brachiaria decumbens (10.39 t•ha −1 ) in our study was lower than that reported for U. decumbens (11.40 t•ha −1 ) under supplementary irrigation conditions in Holetta, Ethiopia, by Faji et al [36], which might be due to irrigation supplementation. Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana cv.…”

Productivity and Feed Quality Performance of Napier Grass (Cenchrus purpureus) Genotypes Growing under Different Soil Moisture Levels

“…Regarding the annual biomass production, the highest dry biomass yield was obtained from highly productive genotypes identified under wet season and drought stress conditions ( Table 5 ). These top biomass-yielding genotypes were tall [ 31 ] with low LSR values, indicating that they had a high stem biomass, although this could, at least in part, be associated with their accelerated development due to their high production. A separate study that agreed with our findings showed that WUE was higher in vigorous genotypes than it was in low-yielding genotypes [ 30 ].…”