DRY MATTER YIELDS AND BOTANICAL COMPOSITION OF THREE GRASSES AND TWO LEGUME MIXTURES GRAZED BY CATTLE IN A DERIVED SAVANNA AREA OF NIGERIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51406/jagse.v9i1.993Keywords:
dry matter yield, botanical composition, mob-grazing, cattle, derived savannaAbstract
A field experiment was conducted at the International Livestock Research Institute Ibadan, Nigeria between July 1998 and August 2000 to evaluate the dry matter yields and botanical composition of Panicum maximum (local), Panicum maximum (Ntchisi) and Brachiaria ruziziensis planted in mixtures with Centrosema pubescens ILRI 152 and Stylosanthes guianensis ILRI 164 (CIAT 184 cv. Pucallpa) and these species in sole stands. The grass/legume and sole pasture species were mob-grazed by White Fulani and N’Dama cattle one year after planting beginning from March 1999. Thirty-two mature animals (average of 3 years old) of mixed sex, amounting to a stocking density of 250 head ha-1 grazed the plots at each grazing period. The pastures were evaluated for dry matter yield, botanical composition, and response of the species components to grazing effects. The dry matter yields of the pastures were lower at the year of planting than the subsequent years and the mean dry matter values averaged over the three years indicated that P. maximum (Ntchisi)/S. guianensis (9.7 t/ha), Sole P. maximum Ntchisi (10.2 t/ha) and sole S. guianensis (9.9 t/ha) produced significantly more than the other pastures. The yields by pastures that had B. ruziziensis (6.4 - 7.1 kg/ha) as sole crop or as grass/legume mixtures were among the lowest. During grazing, dry matter yields declined from March to December, apparently in response to effects of the intensive grazing. The mean values for dry matter yield indicated that P. maximum Ntchisi/S. guianensis mixture was more persistent under the heavy grazing effects with the value of 16.9 t/ha compared to 10.6 t/ha for sole B. ruziziensis. S. guianensis and C. pubescens constituted 18-21% and 24-25% respectively of the biomass of the grass/legume pastures one year after mob-grazing indicating that C. pubescens could be more resilient under intensive grazing in the derived savanna area of southwest Nigeria.
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Nuru, S., Buvannendran, V. 1984. The indigenous cattle breeds of Nigeria: Problems and Potential. Paper presented at the workshop on evaluation of large ruminants, Rockhampton, Australia.
Olanite, J.A. 1998. Dry matter yield, botanical composition and nutritional value of eight grass-legume mixtures mob-grazed by cattle at Ibadan, southwest Nigeria. M. Phil. Dissertation, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. 123 P.
Onifade, O.S., Agishi, E.C. 1990. A review of forage production and utilization in Nigeria. In: Utilization of Research Results of Forage and Agricultural By-products Materials as Animal Feed Resources in Africa. Proceedings of the First Joint Workshop held in Lilongwe, Malawi 5 – 9 December, 1988. ILCA (International Livestock Centre for Africa), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. P. 114-125.
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Oyenuga, V.A., Olubajo, F.O. 1975. Pasture productivity in Nigeria. 1. Dry matter production and chemical composition of herbage. Journal of Agricultural Science (Cambridge) 85: 1-10
Paladines, O., Lascano, C.E. 1993. Recommendations for evaluating germplasm under small-plot grazing. In: Paladines, O. and C. E. Lascano (eds.). 1993. Forage Germplasm under Small Plot Grazing: Evaluation methodologies. Proceedings of a workshop held in Cali, Colombia, September 1992. CIAT (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical), Cali, Colombia. P. 213-235.
Qusman Badiane, O., Delgado, C.L. 1995. A 2020 vision for food agriculture and environment in sub-Saharan Africa. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C.
Rhonda, R.G., Ocumpaugh, W.R. Quesenberry, K.H., Moore J.E. 1987. Mob-grazing of morphologically different Aeschynomene species. Tropical Grasslands, 21: 123-132.
RIM (Resource Inventory and Management Limited). 1992. Nigerian Livestock Resources. RIM, Jardine House, 1 Wesley street, St. Helier, Jersey.
SAS (Statistcal Analytical Institute). 1988. User's Guide. Statistical Analysis System Inc., Cary, NC, USA.
Smith, J.W., Naazie A., Agyemang, K., Tarawali, S.A. 1997. Integrated crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa: an option or an imperative? Outlook on Agriculture, 26: 237-246.
Stobbs, T.H. 1977. Seasonal changes in the preferences of cattle for Macroptilium artropurpureum cv. Siratro. Tropical Grasslands 11: 87-91.
Winrock International. 1992. Assessment of Animal Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development, Morrilton, Arkansas, USA. 125 P.
Adjei, M.B., Fianu, F.K. 1985. The effect of cutting interval on the yield and nutritive value of some tropical legumes on the coastal grassland of Ghana. Tropical Grasslands, 19: 164-170.
Akinyemi, A.A., Onayinka, E.A.O. 1982. The productivity and carrying capacity of Panicum maximum planted with or without Centrosema pubescens. Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Science, 4(1): 33-38.
Coates, D. B. 1996. Diet selection by cattle grazing Stylo-grass pastures in the seasonally dry tropics: Effects of year, season species and botanical composition. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture, 36: 781-789.
Crowder, L.V., Chheda, H.R. 1982. Tropical Grassland Husbandry. Longman, New York. 562 P.
Delgado, C., Rosegrant, M., Steinfeld, H., Ehui, S., Courbois, C. 1999. Livestock to 2020: the next food revolution. Food, Agriculture and the Environment Discussion Paper 28. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C., U.S.A. 72 P.
Evans, T.R., Bryan, W.W. 1973. Effects of soils, fertilizers and stocking rates on pastures and beef production on the Wallum of south-eastern Queensland. II. Live-weight change and beef production. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, 13: 530-536.
Ezenwa, I.V. 1995. Forage Production Potentials of Herbaceous and Tree Legumes in Mixtures with Grasses in Oyo State, Nigeria. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. 186 P.
Gardner, C.J. 1980. Diet selection and live-weight performance of steers on Stylo hamata-native pastures. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 31: 379-392.
Gardner, C.J., Ash, A.J. 1994. Diet selection in six Stylo-grass pastures and its implications for pasture stability. Tropical Grasslands, 28: 109-119.
Humphreys, L.R. 1991. Tropical Pasture Utilization, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K. 202 P.
ILCA (International Livestock Centre for Africa). 1993. Handbook of African livestock statistic. ILCA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 66 P.
ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute). 1995. Building a global research institute. ILRI, Nairobi Kenya. 66 P.
Jabbar, M.A. 1992. Evolving crop-livestock farming systems in the humid zone of West Africa: Potentials and research needs. Outlook on Agriculture, 22: 13-21.
Jones, R.M., Clements, R.J. 1987. Persistence and productivity of Centrosema virginianum and Vigna parkerii cv. Shaw under grazing on the coastal lowland s of south-east Queensland. II. Seed set, soil seed reserves, seedling recruitment and seedling survival. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 39:231-234.
Larbi, A., Adekunle I.O., Awojide, A., Akinlade, J.A. 1999. Identifying Chamaecrista rotundifolia accessions and Centro species for bridging seasonal feed gaps in smallholder mixed farms in the West African derived savanna. Tropical Grasslands, 33: 91-97.
Leach, G.J., Jones, R.M., Jones, R.J. 1976. The agronomy and ecology of improved pastures. In: N. H. Shaw and W. W. Bryan (eds.), Tropical Pasture Research: Principles and Methods, CSIRO Division of Tropical Agronomy, Cunningham Laboratory, Brisbane, Australia. Bulletin, 5: 227-307.
Mears, P.T., Humphreys, L.R. 1974. Nitrogen response and stocking rate of Pennisetum clandestanum pastures. 1. Pasture nitrogen requirement and concentration, distribution of dry matter and botanical composition. Journal of Agricultural Science (Cambridge), 83: 451-467.
Mislevy, P., Mott, G.O., Martin, F.G. 1982. Screening perennial forages by mob-grazing technique. Proceedings of the 14th International Grassland Congress, Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A., 15-24 June, 1981. P. 516-519.
Mohamed-Saleem, M.A. 1986. Integration of forage legumes into cropping systems of Nigeria’s sub-humid zone. In: R. von Kaufmann, S. Charter and R. Blench (eds.), Livestock Systems Research in Nigeria’s Sub-humid Zone. Proceedings of ILCA/NAPRI Symposium on livestock production in the Nigerian sub-humid zone, P. 304-325. ILCA, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mohamed-Saleem, M.A. 1994. Evaluation of Stylo for pasture development: An Overview of ILCA's Experience in Nigeria. In: P.N. de Leeuw, M.A. Mohamed-Saleem and A.M. Nyamu (eds.), Stylo as a forage and fallow crop. Proceedings of the Regional Workshop on the use of Stylo in West Africa 23-31 October 1992, Kaduna, Nigeria. P. 17-23.
Mohammed, T.A. 1990. A study of peri-urban cattle agro-pastoralism in the derived savanna of Oyo State, southwest Nigeria. ILCA, Humid Zone Programme, Ibadan, Nigeria. 54pp.
Nuru, S. 1982. Problems and prospects of the Nigerian beef industry. In: A. O. Osinowo, U. J. Ikhatua and W. O. Ehoche (eds.), Beef Production in Nigeria. Proceedings of the national conference on beef production held in Kaduna, Nigeria 27-30 July 1982, NAPRI (National Animal Production Research Institute), Shika, Nigeria. P. 12-43.
Nuru, S., Buvannendran, V. 1984. The indigenous cattle breeds of Nigeria: Problems and Potential. Paper presented at the workshop on evaluation of large ruminants, Rockhampton, Australia.
Olanite, J.A. 1998. Dry matter yield, botanical composition and nutritional value of eight grass-legume mixtures mob-grazed by cattle at Ibadan, southwest Nigeria. M. Phil. Dissertation, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. 123 P.
Onifade, O.S., Agishi, E.C. 1990. A review of forage production and utilization in Nigeria. In: Utilization of Research Results of Forage and Agricultural By-products Materials as Animal Feed Resources in Africa. Proceedings of the First Joint Workshop held in Lilongwe, Malawi 5 – 9 December, 1988. ILCA (International Livestock Centre for Africa), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. P. 114-125.
Onifade, O.S., Adu, I.F., Akinola, J.O. 1992. Performance and management of sheep on Rhodes grass-stylo pasture in Nigeria. In: J.E.S. Stares; A.N. Said and J.A. Kategile (eds.), The Complementality of Feed Resources for Animal Production in Africa. Proceedings of the Joint Feed Resources Network workshop held in Gaborone, Botswana, 4-8 March 1991. P 85-94.
Oyenuga, V.A., Olubajo, F.O. 1975. Pasture productivity in Nigeria. 1. Dry matter production and chemical composition of herbage. Journal of Agricultural Science (Cambridge) 85: 1-10
Paladines, O., Lascano, C.E. 1993. Recommendations for evaluating germplasm under small-plot grazing. In: Paladines, O. and C. E. Lascano (eds.). 1993. Forage Germplasm under Small Plot Grazing: Evaluation methodologies. Proceedings of a workshop held in Cali, Colombia, September 1992. CIAT (Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical), Cali, Colombia. P. 213-235.
Qusman Badiane, O., Delgado, C.L. 1995. A 2020 vision for food agriculture and environment in sub-Saharan Africa. International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington D.C.
Rhonda, R.G., Ocumpaugh, W.R. Quesenberry, K.H., Moore J.E. 1987. Mob-grazing of morphologically different Aeschynomene species. Tropical Grasslands, 21: 123-132.
RIM (Resource Inventory and Management Limited). 1992. Nigerian Livestock Resources. RIM, Jardine House, 1 Wesley street, St. Helier, Jersey.
SAS (Statistcal Analytical Institute). 1988. User's Guide. Statistical Analysis System Inc., Cary, NC, USA.
Smith, J.W., Naazie A., Agyemang, K., Tarawali, S.A. 1997. Integrated crop-livestock systems in sub-Saharan Africa: an option or an imperative? Outlook on Agriculture, 26: 237-246.
Stobbs, T.H. 1977. Seasonal changes in the preferences of cattle for Macroptilium artropurpureum cv. Siratro. Tropical Grasslands 11: 87-91.
Winrock International. 1992. Assessment of Animal Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. Winrock International Institute for Agricultural Development, Morrilton, Arkansas, USA. 125 P.
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