Quality and quantity of maize and sorghum vegetative parts harvested at different stages of plant growth as fodder for livestock
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Date
1994
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Publisher
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Two on-station research experiments were conducted at the Livestock
Production and Research Institute, Mpwapwa and one at Pasture Research
Center, Kongwa both in Central Tanzania from January to October, 1993.
Four treatments in maize, grown in Mpwapwa station, were stripping
(SR), topping (TP), stripping + topping (STP) at silking stage and whole
plant stover (WPL or control) were assigned randomly within the four
blocks of a complete randomized block design experiment. Only SR and
WPL treatments were performed in sorghum trials in Kongwa under the
same experimental design as in maize but each were replicated twice
within each of the four blocks.
Also three treatments replicated thrice for measuring the intake
and digestibility of the SR, TP and WPL obtained from the maize trial
were done at Mpwapwa center by using nine adult BHP male sheep.
Complete block design was used by blocking the sheep on weight basis
ranging from 29 to 37 kg live weights (mean 32.8 + 1.0). Both animals
received equal amount of supplement diet (maize bran + sunflower cake).
A village survey through questionnaire and physical body weight
measurement of cattle every other fortnight was carried out in Berege
village in Dodoma region from the start of the dry season (June) to mid-
dry season (October). Sample collection of forage used by the animals was
done on the same day after weighing the animals. Ten farmers with
improved dairy cattle (Mpwapwa breed) were incorporated.
An
additional survey was also conducted in Kilimanjaro region among eight
farmers to explore the farmer’s knowledge on the use of SR, TP and STP
from maize. In maize the highest vegetative biomass production including
the final residues after the grain harvest was gained with the STP
treatment followed by TP with 5.44 t/ha and 5.35 t/ha respectively
(p<0.05). Less fodder materials were collected from WPL (4.23 t/ha) due
to field losses. No significant difference were found in sorghum fodder
yields despite the leaf losses in WPL. Stripping in sorghum yield 2.2 t/ha
and WPL as 1.8 t/ha. In maize total CP accrued from STP were (287
kg/ha) ), TP (234), SR (177) and WPL (138). The IVOMD of the fractions
were in the order of 75%, 69%, 64% and 52% in SR, STP, TP and WPL
fractions respectively. Seventy-three percent more CP was produced from
SR of sorghum than WPL treatment with 123 kg/ha by 71 kg/ha
respectively. Digestibility (IVOMD) of the SR leaves from sorghum was
79 % while 55 % from the WPL leaves. The feed intake of SR leaves in
maize was more than twice (850 g/day) that of the WPL stover (361 g/day)
when fed to sheep. The total digestible crude protein (DCP) from SR of
maize was 51 % while the same from WPL was negative. With the
supplement diets, the DCP of SR leaves improved slightly to 55 % but
increased greatly in WPL to 51 %.
From the village survey, the cattle in Berege suffered from lack
of high quality feeds resulting in body weight losses during the later part
of the dry season despite the bigger cultivated crop field farms than in
Kilimanjaro region. With small areas of land in Kilimanjaro region, less
than 1.5 ha, the maize fractions alone harvested before and after grain
harvest accounted for over 39 % of the total annual cattle feed2
requirement while in Berege the combination of all dry residues after
harvest (maize, sorghum and millet) formed 42 % of the total annual diet.
This made the dependence of natural pasture in Kilimanjaro region to be
only 28 % while in Berege village the cattle were still depending on 40 %
natural pasture for the annual feed resources.
Since the defoliation of maize and sorghum vegetative parts had
no deleterious effects on the final grain yield, the technique should be
introduced in Central Tanzania so as to make use of the enormous green
materials lost in the wet season to be available in dry season. Their higher
feeding value also will be an advantage to the farmers as they will buy
less supplements to be added . to the forage to meet the animal
requirements for maintenance and production.
Description
Dissertation
Keywords
Maize and sorghum, Harvested, Plant growth, Livestock