1. Sokoine University of Agriculture Official Publications

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Browsing 1. Sokoine University of Agriculture Official Publications by Subject "Brachiaria Cultivars"

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    Morphological characteristics and yield of three brachiaria cultivars subjected to different eco- climatic zones of Tanzania
    (Rangeland Society of Tanzania (RST), 2022-12) Ismail Saidi Selemani
    Livestock production in Tanzania is limited by scarcity of forage resources, the situation acerbated by the effects of climate change. Replacement of high quality forages with low quality forages have resulted into low milk production in the country (4 to 5 L) which is below the potential of producing at least 15 L per cow per day. Although, high yield fodder grasses such as Brachiaria have been recommended as climate smart fodder grass, little information have been documented in Tanzania particularly the growth performance of these grasses across different eco-climatic zones. The current study tested the performance of three cultivars of Brachiaria (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Piata, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraes and Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk) at three different eco-climatic zones (Humid, sub-humid and semi-arid conditions). The study used the Factorial arrangement where interaction between eco- climatic zones and Brachiaria cultivars were subjected to Two Ways ANOVA. In cases where significant differences were found, the Post Hoc tests were performed using the Duncan Multiple Range Test of SAS 2014 to separate mean values. The study revealed that, sub-humid climate was superior in terms of all growth attributes and biomass yield compared to semi-arid zone which was characterized with poor growth performance. Interestingly, B. decumbens cv. Basilisk was relatively shorter grass but scored the highest values for plant number and biomass yield. Surprisingly, B. brizantha cv Xaraes exhibited relatively higher number of tillers per plant in semi-arid condition besides its relatively poor performance. However, further studies on nutritive values and palatability are recommended for these Brachiaria cultivars.