FERTILIZER TREATMENTS AS A MEANS OF IMPROVING FORAGE QUALITY OF TWO TROPICAL GRASS SPECIES DURING LATE RAINY SEASON IN ABEOKUTA, SOUTH WESTERN, NIGERIA

Abstract

This experiment was carried out to evaluate proximate composition and fibre fractions of Panicum maximum and Andropogon tectorum as affected by fertilizer types during the late rainy-season in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. The study consisted of four fertilizer treatments (NPK 20:10:10 [NPK] fertilizer, Aleshinloye organo-mineral [AOM] fertilizer, Poultry manure [PM], without fertilizer i.e. control) and two grass species (P. maximum var Ntchisi and A. tectorum) and was therefore 4 x 2 factorial arrangement laid out in split plot design, forming total 8 treatments replicated thrice. Forages were harvested 8 weeks after cut back (WAC) using 1m2 quadrat. Sub–samples were taken from each plot, weighed and oven dried at 65oCto constant weight to determine proximate composition and fibre components. Result revealed that ether extra (EE) and Hemicellulose were affected significantly (P<0.05) by grass species, while dry matter (DM), (EE) and non fibre carbohydrate (NFC) values were significantly (P<0.05) different due to influence of fertilizer types. Therefore, the results from this study established that fertilizer treatments does not influence the majority of the parameters determined for proximate composition and fibre components during late rainy season in Abeokuta, South Western, Nigeria