Abstract
The establishment of complementary native grass species could be an ideal method of dealing with existing problems of veld degradation and inadequate forage quantity and quality of pastures. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of native grasses viz., Anthephora pubescens, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, Dactylis glomerata, Digitaria eriantha, Eragrostis curvula, Festuca arundinacea, Panicum maximum and Themeda triandra. Attributes at different growth stages on agronomy, morphology and chemical composition were checked. Panicum maximum had the broader (p < 0.05) leaves across all growth stages when compared to all other grass species. Festuca arundinacea had highest (p < 0.05) number of tillers than C. ciliaris, C. gayana, D. glomerata, D. eriantha, E. curvula, P. maximum and T. triandra at 2–4-months age. Within each species, all grasses had the highest (p < 0.05) number of leaves at maturity. Chloris gayana, D. glomerata and P. maximum had the highest (p < 0.05) biomass yield when compared to F. arundinacea at the elongation stage. Eragrostis curvula had the highest (p < 0.05) crude protein (CP) values when compared to all other grasses, except for D. glomerata, F. arundinacea and P. maximum at the elongation stage. Panicum maximum and T. triandra had the least (p < 0.05) acid detergent lignin (ADL) values when compared to all other grasses at both vegetative and the elongation stages. In the ranking, C. ciliaris, C. gayana, D. eriantha, E. curvula, P. maximum and A. pubescens outperformed the rest of the grasses on most parameters. With the low crude protein (CP) content of these grasses, protein supplementation is highly crucial for high performing ruminants, especially those animals that graze grasses as their sole diets.
Highlights
During the times of high feed costs and financial limitations faced by farmers, grasses are still significantly recognized as the sole and most cost-effective and accessible natural resource found in semi-arid regions globally [1]
The germination status for each of the grass species was indicated in a descending order; 72% for E. curvula, for A. pubescens, 56%, for C. gayana, 53%, for F. arundinacea 53%, T. triandra 50%, C. ciliaris 47%, D. glomerata 39%, P. maximum, 38% and 23% for D. eriantha
This study shows that all grass species had the same number of leaves at the elongation stage
Summary
During the times of high feed costs and financial limitations faced by farmers, grasses are still significantly recognized as the sole and most cost-effective and accessible natural resource found in semi-arid regions globally [1]. Perennial grasses maybe regarded as dual-purpose resources since they feed ruminants and conserve degraded rangelands through vegetative cover to prevent soil and/or water erosion [3]. Due to the biotic and abiotic stress that grass plants are subjected to [6], it is of significance that grasses can robustly establish in unfavorable environments like semi-arid areas, to be competitive and grow quickly. Seedling establishment and emergence time, and plant developmental stages are known to be of paramount importance in the production life cycle of grasses as they contribute to species diversity, biomass and rehabilitation of degraded land [7]
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