Volume 23, 225

Tropical Grasslands (1989) Volume 23, 225–231

SEED PRODUCTION AND FORAGE PERFOMANCE OF CENTRO (CENTROSEMA PUBESCENS) AND SIRATRO (MACROPTILIUM ATROPURPUREUM cv SIRATRO) AS INFLUENCED BY STAKING AND TYPE OF POD HARVEST

J.O. AKINOLA¹ and E.C. AGISHI²

¹Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B. 1044, Zaria, Nigeria.
²Forage and Crop Residue Research Programme, National Animal Production Research Institute, Shika, P.M.B. 1096, Zaria, Nigeria.

Abstract

A study was conducted at Shika in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria between July 1976 and May 1978 to evaluate seed production and herbage yield responses to staking and successive or single (simulated machine) pod harvest procedures of Centro (Centrosema pubescens) and Siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum). Centro produced much more seed than Siratro, averaging 390kg/ha overall against 105 for Siratro. Both species yielded more heavily as a result of single staking (averaging 146% of unstaked swards) and cross-staking (187%). Successive hand pickings recovered on average 531 and 156kg/ha of seed in Centro and Siratro respectively. Single harvests, whether early or late, were consistently less efficient overall average recovery being only 58% of that of successive picks.
The role of herbage residue yields of over 3t dry matter/ha containing 2.18% nitrogen (N) and 0. 17% phosphorus (P) (Centro) or 2.78% N and 0. 15% P (Siratro), following successive pod harvests, in supplementing nutritively deficient native pasture grazing during the dry season is discussed.