Download Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens)

Why are grasses suitable as
ruminant feed?
 Comprise of herbaceous materials that are easily
grazed and digested
 Fulfills nutrient requirements
 No toxic constituents
 Able to regrow after cutting or grazing
 Continuous growth habit
 Spreads by rhizomes or stolons, rapid ground
coverage
Why grasses are able to
regrow after being cut or
grazed
 Produce fresh shoots by tillering that replaces cut
portion
 Non-reproductive shoots have growing points at base
of plant that are not damaged by cutting or grazing
 Rhizomes and stolons are not affected by cutting or
grazing
Important Characteristics of
Pasture Grasses
 Growth habit – upright, creeping,
rhizomatous
 Utilization – grazed, cut and carry, both
 Ecological adaptation – dry areas, wet
areas, sandy
 Propagation – by seeds or vegetative only
 Nutritive value – protein, digestibility,
minerals
 Toxic components
 Compatibility – can be grown with legumes?
IMPROVED PASTURE
GRASSES IN
MALAYSIA
Origin
 All improved pasture grasses are indigenous to Africa
 Earliest species brought in directly by the British
administration
 After 1972, MARDI introduced species that have been
tested in Australia by CSIRO
Pasture species introductions
 Most species have been introduced from Africa
 MARDI & CSIRO (Australia) initiated program of
pasture grass introductions in 1972
 60 grasses and 63 legumes were evaluated
Basis for selection
 Adaptation to local condition
 Persistence to defoliation
 Resistance to pest and diseases
 Tolerance to drought
 Growth characteristics
 Effective nodulation for legumes
 palatability
History
 Before 1972:
 Napier (Elephant Grass)
 Guinea
 After 1972
 Setaria
 Signal
 MARDI Digit
 King grass
 Dwarf Napier
Grasses
Tall, bunch type,
suitable for
cutting
Short,
stoloniferous,
suitable for
grazing
Elephant grass
(Napier)
Signal grass
Guinea
Setaria kuzungula
Setaria splendida
MARDI Digit
Para grass
Pennisetum purpureum
 Napier, Elephant, rumput gajah
 Introduced to Malaysia in 1920’s
 Very tall, can reach 4 m
 Used mainly as cut fodder, cut every
4-6 weeks
 Sometimes conserved as silage
 High yielding, 30-40 t/ha DM
 Needs good rainfall, 1200-2000 mm/yr
 High nutrient requirement, usually
fertilized with N at 200-400 kg N/ha
Napier grown as
fodder
New varieties of Pennisetum
 King Grass: P. purpureum x P. typhoides
 A bigger hybrid, more leafy and broader leaves
 Dwarf Napier: Taiwan Napier – shorter and less stems
Taiwan Napier
Napier grown at NFC
Gemas
Propagation
Napier produces
seeds but the seeds
are not viable
(infertile)
Napier is usually
planted by stem
cuttings
Guinea Grass
Panicum maximum
Introduced about
1950’s
Bunch grass,
produce flowers
and seeds profusely
Can be cut or
grazed
Can be planted
with legumes
Setaria
 Two varieties:
 Setaria sphacelata var sericea
 Setaria sphacelata var splendida
 Splendida do not produce seeds and less flowers,
broader leaves
 Sericea – cv kuzungula, nandi. Can be planted with
seeds
Setaria in Darabif Farm
Signal grass
(Brachiaria decumbens)
 Most widely planted pasture grass in Malaysia
 Very aggressive, stoloniferous grass
 Mainly sown by seeds
 Unsuitable for small ruminants (goats and sheep):
causes photosensitisation and liver necrosis
 Used for slope stabilization on highways
 Introduced to Malaysia in 1970’s
Brachiaria humidicola
 Used as a substitute for Signal where sheep and goats
are grazed
 Tolerant to shade, useful under tree crops
 Nutritive quality not as good as Signal, lower leaf-tostem ratio
Brachiaria humidicola under rubber
Para Grass
(Brachiaria mutica)
 Especially adapted to very wet conditions
 Grows naturally in waterways
 Long stolons, very hairy leaves and stems
 Not very palatable to animals
 Not tolerant to heavy grazing
 Established using cuttings
MARDI Digit
(Digitaria setivalva)
 Most suitable for small ruminants because of short
growth habit and high leaf-to-stem ratio
 Must be established vegetatively as no viable seeds
are produced
 Brought in from Florida in mid 1970’s although it
originated from Africa
MARDI Digit grown
in Guthrie sheep
farm