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Matching Livestock Systems with Available Resources |
MEKARN Regional Conference 2007 |
Two experiments were carried out at the Livestock Research and Development Centre of North Mountainous Areas. The first experiment was on biomass productivity of Stylosanthes guiasinensis CIAT 184 in association with Cassava (Manihot esculanta) in a completeky random plot design. Comparison was made of two cropping systems (i) Cassava for foliage in pure stand (ii) Stylo in pure stand and (iii) association of Cassava and Stylo in sloping land. Manure levels of 20 tonnes/ha/year and fertilizer 60:80:80 kg/ha of N:P2O:K2O were applied evenly to all plots. In the second experiment, foliages from Stylosanthes and Cassava were used as supplementation for buffaloes at the age of 18-20 months in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments: (T0) Natural grass hay (1.5% of BW), (T1): Cassava hay (1.5% of BW), (T2): Stylosanthes hay (1.5% of BW) and (T3): Stylosanthes and Cassava hay (0.75 and 0.75 % of BW).
After 12 months, the highest biomass foliage yield was obtained when with Cassava in association with Stylo (64.9 tonnes/ha/year) followed by Cassava in pure stand (56.6 tonnes/ha/year) and lowest foliage yield in plots planted with Stylo in pure stand (54.4 tones/ha/year). There were no significant difference between foliage yield of Cassava and Stylo planted for forage. The foliages of experimental plots were cut for making hay and given to buffaloes as supplementation in dry season of the North mountainous area at 1.5% of BW. Live weight gain of buffaloes was higher (261, 205 and 227 g/day for Cassava treatment (T1), Stylo (T2) and mix of Cassava and Stylo (T3), respectively) than when natural grass hay was the supplement (108 g/day).
It is concluded that Cassava, planted in association with Stylo, produces high protein forage yield and is a valuable upplement feed for buffaloes in the dry season