Effects of Fertilizer Type and Harvest Date on Yield and Quality Traits of Brchiaria Hybrid Mulato II Grass (Brachiaria ruziziensis) in Highlands of Ethiopia
Authors
- Salew Baye 1
-
Bimrew Asmare
*
2
- Shigdaf Mekuriaw 3
Abstract
The experiment was conducted to assess the effects of fertilizer types, and harvesting date on plant growth characteristics, dry matter (DM) yield and nutritional qualities of Mulato II grass. Data on plant growth characteristics, DM yield, and nutritional qualities of the grass were measured. The findings elucidated that fertilizer had a significant effect on the plant growth characteristics and DM yield but not on nutritional quality, except for crude protein (CP) content. All morphological characteristics except leaf to stem ratio (LSR) have shown better performance with the application of manure than other fertilizer types in the current study. Regarding the harvesting date, the highest morphological performance of all parameters except leaf length was recorded at 105 days. The interaction effect of two factors only significantly affects PH, LSR and root number. For the nutritive value parameters CP, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were better at manure than chemical fertilizer and control. The CP, LSR, and ash content were markedly decreased (P <0.05) as the harvesting age was increased, and manure application. Hybrid Mulato II grass at about 105 days at manure fertilizer application would help to achieve greater DM yield using irrigation and rainfall production systems.
