Effects of Plant Spacing and Fertilizer Level on Agronomic Performance and Forage Yield of Hybrid Brachiaria cv. Mulato II Grass, in Chagni Ranch, Awi Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Livestock are an important component of nearly all farming systems in Ethiopia. Despite the importance of livestock in the country, productivity is low due to shortage of feed in terms of both quantity and quality, especially during the dry season. A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of plant spacing and N fertilizer application on agronomic performance and dry matter yield of Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato II grass for the first 150 days after planting under irrigation supplementation in Chagni Ranch, Awi Zone, Ethiopia. A factorial experiment with 3 urea fertilizer levels (0, 50 and 100 kg/ha) and 4 spacings between plants and rows (20 x 20, 30 x 40, 40 x 60 and 50 x 80 cm) with 3 replications was used. Data collected on agronomic characteristics were plant height, number of tillers per plant, number of leaves per plant, leaf: stem ratio basal circumference and dry matter yield (DMY). The highest DMY 9.18 t/ha and 8.93 t/ha were recorded for narrower plant spacing (20 x 20 cm) with higher urea fertilizer level (100 kg/ha) (S1F3) and narrower plant spacing (20 x 20 cm) with medium urea fertilizer level (50 kg/ha) (S1F2), respectively. The current study concluded that, dry matter yield of Mulato II grass can be improved by urea fertilizer application specifically the application of 50 kg/ha urea fertilizer with better economic feasiblity. On the other hand, planting at narrower spacings 20x20 cm were found to have high DMY values and it reduce land shortage problem than other spacings. Similar studies need to be conducted over much longer periods to determine to what extent these findings relate to performance over the life of a permanent pasture.