Some Agronomic Parameters of Panicum maximum Cv Mombasa Grass Regrowth in the Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria

Abstract

A twenty four (24) weeks experiment was conducted from the onset of rains to investigate the dry matter yield and fresh fodder production of Panicum maximum cv Mombasa (Guinea grass) regrowth, during which plant height, number of leaves per plant and number of tillers per plant were measured. Measurements were taken at 6, 12, 18 and 24 weeks after the onset of rains in April. The experimental design used was a Completely Randomised Design (CRD). The results obtained from this experiment showed that there were significant (p<0.05) differences in plant height, number of leaves per plant and number of tillers per plant between weeks. The leaf-stem ratio was highest (p<0.05) at week 6 (1.5:1), but did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between weeks 12, 18, and 24. The results indicated that the dry matter yield increased from 5.7t per ha to 11.6t per ha. Fresh fodder production increased (p<0.05) significantly from 8.0 to 32 tonne per ha, respectively from week 6 to week 24. This study has shown the higher forage production potential, higher dry matter yield and biomass production of P. maximum were obtained as plant age increased.