Hay quality as influenced by fertilizer types, grass species and age at harvest during wet season in Abeokuta, sub-humid zone of Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate effects of fertilizer types and age at harvest on quality of hay produced from Andropogon tectorum and Panicum maximum var Ntchisi during wet season in Abeokuta. The experiment was a spilt-spilt-plot design, consisting of three (3) fertilizer types [ N.P.K 20:10:10 (NPK), Poultry manure (PM) and Aleshinloye organo-mineral fertilizer (AOM)] and control assigned to main plots, grass species (P. maximum (Ntchisi) and A. tectorum) allotted to the sub-plots and age at harvest (6 weeks and 8 weeks) assigned to sub-sub plots. Hay from the grasses were cured under shed for a period of 4-6 weeks until desirable moisture content was achieved, sub-samples were taken for analyses. Hay from AOM fertilized grasses had the higher values (10.01 %, 65.58 % and 25.33 %) for crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and hemicellulose respectively. Non-Fibre Carbohydrate (NFC) obtained from grasses in the control treatment was highest (17.38 %). Poultry manure fertilized grasses hay had the higher EE content (7.88 %). Panicum maximum (Ntchisi) had higher values of CP (10.01 %) and Ash (9.46 %) than A. tectorum. Andropogon tectorum recorded higher NDF (64.42 %) and hemicellulose (25.17 %) than P. maximum (Ntchisi). NPK fertilized grasses produced the highest (p<0.05) volumes of CO₂ and CH₄ gas (16.13 ml) and (9.87 ml) respectively and the higher organic matter digestibility (31.19 %) compared with the control. Therefore, Panicum maximum hay quality was better while AOM improved CP and moderate fibre of hay.