Why are grasses suitable as ruminant feed?  Comprise of herbaceous materials that are easily grazed and digested  Fulfills nutrient requirements  No toxic constituents  Able to regrow after cutting or grazing  Continuous growth habit  Spreads by rhizomes or stolons, rapid ground coverage

Why grasses are able to regrow after being cut or grazed  Produce fresh shoots by tillering that replaces cut portion  Non-reproductive shoots have growing points at base of plant that are not damaged by cutting or grazing  Rhizomes and stolons are not affected by cutting or grazing

Important Characteristics of Pasture Grasses  Growth habit – upright, creeping, rhizomatous  Utilization – grazed, cut and carry, both  Ecological adaptation – dry areas, wet areas, sandy  Propagation – by seeds or vegetative only  Nutritive value – protein, digestibility, minerals  Toxic components  Compatibility – can be grown with legumes?

IMPROVED PASTURE GRASSES IN MALAYSIA

Origin  All improved pasture grasses are indigenous to Africa  Earliest species brought in directly by the British administration  After 1972, MARDI introduced species that have been tested in Australia by CSIRO

Pasture species introductions  Most species have been introduced from Africa  MARDI & CSIRO (Australia) initiated program of pasture grass introductions in 1972  60 grasses and 63 legumes were evaluated

Basis for selection  Adaptation to local condition  Persistence to defoliation  Resistance to pest and diseases  Tolerance to drought  Growth characteristics  Effective nodulation for legumes  palatability

History  Before 1972:  Napier (Elephant Grass)  Guinea  After 1972  Setaria  Signal  MARDI Digit  King grass  Dwarf Napier

Grasses Tall, bunch type, suitable for cutting Short, stoloniferous, suitable for grazing Elephant grass (Napier) Guinea Setaria splendida Signal grass Setaria kuzungula MARDI Digit Para grass

Pennisetum purpureum  Napier, Elephant, rumput gajah  Introduced to Malaysia in 1920’s  Very tall, can reach 4 m  Used mainly as cut fodder, cut every 4-6 weeks  Sometimes conserved as silage  High yielding, t/ha DM  Needs good rainfall, mm/yr  High nutrient requirement, usually fertilized with N at kg N/ha

Napier grown as fodder

New varieties of Pennisetum  King Grass: P. purpureum x P. typhoides  A bigger hybrid, more leafy and broader leaves  Dwarf Napier: Taiwan Napier – shorter and less stems

Taiwan Napier

Napier grown at NFC Gemas

Propagation  Napier produces seeds but the seeds are not viable (infertile)  Napier is usually planted by stem cuttings

Guinea Grass  Panicum maximum  Introduced about 1950’s  Bunch grass, produce flowers and seeds profusely  Can be cut or grazed  Can be planted with legumes

Setaria  Two varieties:  Setaria sphacelata var sericea  Setaria sphacelata var splendida  Splendida do not produce seeds and less flowers, broader leaves  Sericea – cv kuzungula, nandi. Can be planted with seeds

Setaria in Darabif Farm

Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens)  Most widely planted pasture grass in Malaysia  Very aggressive, stoloniferous grass  Mainly sown by seeds  Unsuitable for small ruminants (goats and sheep): causes photosensitisation and liver necrosis  Used for slope stabilization on highways  Introduced to Malaysia in 1970’s

Brachiaria humidicola  Used as a substitute for Signal where sheep and goats are grazed  Tolerant to shade, useful under tree crops  Nutritive quality not as good as Signal, lower leaf-to- stem ratio

Brachiaria humidicola under rubber

Para Grass (Brachiaria mutica)  Especially adapted to very wet conditions  Grows naturally in waterways  Long stolons, very hairy leaves and stems  Not very palatable to animals  Not tolerant to heavy grazing  Established using cuttings

MARDI Digit (Digitaria setivalva)  Most suitable for small ruminants because of short growth habit and high leaf-to-stem ratio  Must be established vegetatively as no viable seeds are produced  Brought in from Florida in mid 1970’s although it originated from Africa

MARDI Digit grown in Guthrie sheep farm