I. EZENWA and M.E. AKEN'OVA

Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

The dry matter (DM) yields, crude protein (CP) concentration and N transfer of simple mixtures of guinea grass (Panicum maximum) cv. Ntchisi, elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) cv. S9 and star grass (Cynodon nlemfuensis var. nlemfuensis), and Verano stylo (Stylosanthes hamata) cv. Verano, centro (Centrosema pubescens) cv. UI13 and tropical kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides) cv. UI113 were compared with those of the pure grasses, with or without urea at 200 kg N/ha/yr, and the pure legumes in a cutting trial during the rainy seasons of 1988–1990. The mixtures produced 22–154% higher total DM yields than their respective unfertilised pure grasses. The mixtures were also more effective in controlling weeds and the mixed forage had higher CP concentration than grasses alone, N-fertilised or unfertilised. Verano mixtures with star grass, guinea grass and elephant grass, which yielded on average 13.8 t DM/ha/yr, and tropical kudzu mixtures with guinea grass and elephant grass, which yielded on average 13.6 t DM/ha/yr, were as productive as N-fertilised guinea grass and star grass and pure Verano with 15.3, 13.2 and 13.4 t DM/ha/yr, respectively. The legumes transferred between 3 and 42 kg N/ha/yr to associated grasses in mixtures, but did not significantly improve the performance of the grasses. The superiority of the mixtures was, therefore, mainly due to the contributions of legumes to total forage.