What is Brachiaria grass used for?
Brachiaria lata has long been mentioned as an excellent forage for ruminants and equids (Adam, 1954). It is mainly used as fodder and palatable to cattle and sheep. It is cut and sold as hay on West African markets (Burkill, 1985; Asiedu et al., 1978).
How do you grow Brachiaria grass in Kenya?
Drill the seeds along the furrows and cover with light soil. An acre of land requires 2 – 3 kg of good quality seeds. Alternatively, sow the seeds in a nursery bed and transplant the seedlings at the age of six to eight weeks. In the nursery bed, sow the seeds in furrows, spaced at 5 cm and mulch with dry grass.
What is the common name of Brachiaria Decumbens?
Signal grass
Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf or Urochloa decumbens (Stapf) R. D. Webster) is a tropical and subtropical grass widely cultivated for forage.
How do you plant Brachiaria splits?
Plant the Brachiaria root splits on each hill at a spacing of 50 cm between rows and 25 cm within rows. For proper establishment plant at the onset of rains or irrigate if the rains are scarce. A total of 64,000 to 96000 root splits are required per acre.
Is brachiaria grass good for beef cattle?
Tolerates heavy grazing well, being very tolerant of cutting and grazing by cattle once established. These varieties can be grazed at high stocking rates suitable for dairy and beef finishing in the humid tropics and sub-tropics.
How long does brachiaria grass take to grow?
about 4 to 5 months
Most varieties take about 4 to 5 months to attain their full height. The nutritive value of forage declines as it matures, it is therefore important to identify the right harvesting time with the perfect balance of biomass and nutritive value. For good quality hay, Brachiaria should be harvested prior to flowering.
How long does Brachiaria grass take to mature?
nine to 12 weeks
Cut the grass at a height of 5 cm above the ground. The next harvest should be after nine to 12 weeks depending on rainfall, soil fertility, and management. The grass can stay in the field for a maximum of 20 years with proper care.
How long does Brachiaria grass take to grow?
What is the common name of Brachiaria Lata?
CE Hubbard [family POACEAE] A loosely tufted annual grass, coarse-leaved, culms semi-recumbent, to 60 cm high, of cultivated land and disturbed soil, distributed across the Sahel from Mauritania to N and S Nigeria, and on into Ethiopia and Arabia.
What is the scientific name of Brachiaria grass?
BrachiariaBrachiaria / Scientific name
Do goats eat Brachiaria grass?
An average daily weight gain of 45.21 g/day was obtained on Galla goats fed B. brizantha cv. Piata compared to 9.64 g/day for those in the control group (fed Rhodes grass). This showed an increase in daily weight gain by 78.68% for animals on Piata over those fed Rhodes grass.