Herbage yield and quality of 12 Urochloa cultivars and lines in Northeast Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17138/tgft(11)121-130Abstract
Forage accumulation yields and nutritive value of 12 Urochloa cultivars and pre-commercial lines (Mulato II, Cayman, Cobra, Marandu, Toledo, BRS Piatã, BRS Paiaguás, Ruzi, Humidicola, BRO4/3025, BRO4/3207 and BRO4/2515) were evaluated in a field trial in Northeast Thailand during 2015–2018. Total herbage yields for cultivars and lines over 3 years ranged from 15,800 kg DM/ha (Ruzi) to 33,800 kg DM/ha (Toledo). Toledo produced the highest total biomass across the 3 wet and dry seasons. BRS Piatã and BRS Paiaguás showed good performance, out-yielding Ruzi and Mulato II in total DM in both wet and dry seasons. The 6 hybrid Urochloa cultivars/lines (Mulato II, Cayman, Cobra, BRO4/3025, BRO4/3207 and BRO4/2515) all accumulated similar total DM yields over 3 years, outyielding Ruzi (P<0.05). Crude protein concentrations in forage were higher (P<0.05) in the dry season than wet season and in leaf than stem. In the second and third dry seasons, Ruzi had higher CP concentrations in both leaf and stem than all other cultivars and lines. ADF and NDF concentrations were lower in the dry season than the wet season. This trial has shown that BRS Piatá and BRS Paiaguãs would be ideal replacements for Mulato II and Ruzi in Northeast Thailand because of their superior dry season production for smallholder farmers for either cut-and-carry forage or grazing.
Author Biography
Michael D. Hare, Ubon Forage Seeds Co. Ltd, Jaeramair, Muang, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand.
Michael Hare has been involved with seed production of tropical and temperate forage grasses and legumes for almost four decades in Thailand (tropical) and New Zealand (temperate). In Thailand Michael started large scale machine harvesting of Townsville stylo and Verano stylo in the 1970s and later was involved in a village farmer seed programme of various species which continues until this day. From 1984 to 1994,Michael worked as a herbage seed scientist at Grasslands Division, DSIR, Palmerston North, New Zealand, researching seed production problems on a wide range of temperate species. From 1994 to 2016, Michael worked at Ubon Ratchathani University in Thailand, researching seed production of tropical forages and starting a new village seed programme with Tropical Seeds, a subsidiary of a Mexican seed company, Grupo Papalotla. This programme contracted over 1000 village farmers in Thailand and Laos to produce seed of Mulato II and Cayman hybrid brachiarias, Mombasa and Tanzania guinea grasses, Ubon paspalum and Ubon stylo. Seed is currently being exported to countries in Central America, the South Pacific, other parts of Asia and now Africa. Michael conducted research trials on the above species and was involved in final evaluation of new hybrid brachiaria accessions from CIAT for which Grupo Papalotla has the production rights. Michael became a professor in the Faculty of Agriculture, Ubon Ratchathani University in 2006 and a Fellow of the Tropical Grassland Society of Australia Inc in 2010. He has been author or co-author of 150 papers on various aspects of seed and forages in both temperate and tropical pastures. In 2016, Michael and his wife formed the tropical forage seed company, Ubon Forage Seeds, in Ubon Ratchathani Thailand.
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