Growth and yield of three Brachiaria cultivars from the Southern Highlands, Rungwe, Mbeya, Tanzania

Abstract

Scarcity of grazing land in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania limits livestock production. Although high yielding pasture species such as Brachiaria are recommended in the areas where land is limiting factor, there is limited information on its growth and yield under humid climates. The experiments were conducted in Rungwe district to test performance of three cultivars of Brachiaria (Brachiaria brizantha cv. piata, Brachiaria brizantha cv. xaraes and Brachiaria decumbens cv. basilisk) against the local pasture species, Pennisetum purpureum. The study used the Complete Randomized Block Design where two experiments (on-station and on-farm) were considered as blocks, while Brachiaria cultivars were treated as main factors. Data on germination characteristics were recorded during the first two weeks after sowing whereas data on growth performance were collected at intervals of four weeks for three months consecutively. Farmers’ performance evaluation and above ground biomass estimation was done at week 13rd of the experiment. Although, Pennisetum purpureum was consistently ranked higher by farmers in terms of growth attributes, the field data established little variations with other Brachiaria cultivars. Interestingly, B. decumbens cv. basilisk scored relatively higher values for germination rate, tiller number and biomass which imply its good growth and productive performance. The lower mean height of B. decumbens cv. basilisk probably optimises the accumulation of its biomass. The B. brizantha cv. xaraes exhibited lowest growth performance, and was relatively affected by insect and diseases. Therefore, the study recommended up-scaling of B. decumbens cv Basilisk in the Southern highlands and other areas with similar humid climate.