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Persistence of Overseeded Legumes into Guinea Grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) Pasture and Their Effect on Herbage Yield and Quality
Thesis Abstract:
A field experiment was conducted to study the persistence of 14 legume species/varieties overseeded into Guinea grass pasture and their effects on herbage yield and quality. Initial cutting was done when the legumes had been established for six months, thereafter, cutting was made at 60 day intervals.
Based on a one-year trial, legumes overseeded into pure Guinea grass pasture significantly increased herbage yield. Among the different legumes, Schoolfield stylo, Endeavor stylo, K-28 ipil-ipil and Peruvian ipil-ipil were the most effective in increasing the dry matter yields of the Guinea grass-legume combination.
Herbage dry-matter yields of Guinea grass/legume mixtures fertilized with nitrogen were significantly higher than those fertilized with phosphorus. Nitrogen fertilizer significantly favored the Guinea grass component if the sward. Percentage of guinea grass in the herbage increased when nitrogen rate was increased from 50 to 100 kg/ha. On the other hand, fertilization of the mixtures with phosphorus signicantly increased the percentage of lagumes in the herbage.
Among the legumes overseeded into Guinea grass, ipil-ipil (var. K-28 and Peru) had the least crude fiber content (CF) in the herbage. CF contents of the Guinea grass-legumes sward were lower than those of pure Guinea