FORAGE CROPS

Introduction

• These are plants which either grow naturally or are cultivated by man to be used for feeding livestock.
• The term forage crops include pasture and fodder crops.
• Fodder crops are purposely grown for feeding livestock.
• They are cut or uprooted when ready
• Pasture is a ground cover of grass or a mixture of grass and legumes grazed directly or cut and fed to livestock.

 

Classification of Pastures

According to type of stand.

• Either pure
• Mixed stands.

According to ecological zones .

• • Low altitude,
  • Medium altitude,
  • High altitude pastures

According to the establishment .

• Natural
• Artificial pastures.

Examples of grasses

• Napier,
• Rhodes,
• Setaria,
• Molasses,
• Congo signal,
• kikuyu,
• star,
• Guatemala,
• Sudan

Examples of legumes;

• Lucern,
• Clover,
• Desmodium,
• Glycine,
• Stylo,
• Centrio,

 

Pasture Establishment

Seedbed Preparation

• This involves clearing the land, primary and secondary cultivation to a fine tilth because the seeds are small.
• This is done during the dry season.

Selection of planting materials

• Select seeds of high germination percentage,
• Free from impurities or buy certified seeds.
• If vegetative materials are used, select from high yielding, vigorous-growing and healthy plants.

Treatment of legume seeds

• Legume seeds are inoculated with the correct strain of bacteria which fix nitrogen for the crop.

    Planting

• This is done at the beginning of the rains

     Methods of sowing are;

• Direct sowing,
• Under sowing,
• Over-sowing

Oversowing

This is introduction of a pasture legume in an existing grass pasture.

Undersowing

The establishment of a pasture in an already existing crop which acts as a cover crop.

     Seeds  rate depend;

• On purity of seeds,
• Pasture species
• Whether pure or mixed stand.

Apply phosphatic fertilizer when planting and later top-dress  with nitrogenous fertilizer.

Pasture management

• Re-seeding or gapping; Re-seeding is done if the grass is completely denudated.
• But if partially, gapping can be done
• Control of weeds by slashing, uprooting and mowing
• Fertilization of pastures-done by use of manures and nitrogenous fertilizer.
• Topping;This is the removal of stemmy fibrous material left behind after grazing.It allows new growth  after the rains
• Control of pests-done by trapping of moles, use of pesticides and biological means.

Pasture Utilization

• Pastures should be utilized at maturity when nutritive value is high.

       It is utilized through the following methods:

• Direct grazing – this can be done through rotational grazing or herding.
• Zero grazing – this is where the pasture is cut and fed to the animals in the stalls.

 

Common fodder Crops

Edible Cana

• Altitude: 1500 – 2000m above sea level.
• Establishment: Young tubers or bulbs are used.
• Spacing: 1m x 1m.
• Management: Does well with application of farmyard manure and requires fertile land.
• Utilization: Tops and tubers are sliced and fed to livestock.
• Conservation: Bulbs or tubers are sliced and stored.

   Napier Grass

• Altitude: 0 – 2000m above sea level.
• Establishment: Stem cuttings or splits.
• Spacing: 1 m x 50cm.

Management:

• Apply phosphatic fertilizers during planting time.
• Top-dress with nitrogenous fertilizers in split application.
• Clean weeding when young.
• Cut when 6-8 weeks or 1m-1.5m in height.

Utilization: Cut stem is fed to livestock.

Conservation: Ensiled when in plenty.

Types of Napier Grass:

• Bana grass (broad-leaved with hairy leaves)
• Clone (thin-stemmed and hairless)
• French Cameroon (thin-stemmed and not hairy).
• Pakistan hybrid (thin-leaved with hairy leaves).
• Used for silage making.

Lucerne

• Altitude: 1500 – 2500m above sea level.
• Soil: Deep red soil are ideal.
• Establishment: Inoculated seeds are planted 30-50cm apart in the rows.
• Management: Weeding and fertilizer application.
• Utilization: Cut wilted and fed to livestock before flowering stage.
• Conservation: Hay, silage, dried materials such as cubes or pencils.

 Mangolds

• Is a root crop.
• Root is utilized as livestock feed.
• Ripe ones are used.

 Kales

• Leaves used as livestock feeds.

 Guatemala Grass

• Leaves and stems used as livestock feed.

  Sorghum Grass

Two varieties:

• Columbus grass
• Sudan gras

• Established from seeds which are drilled or broadcasted.
• Columbus grass should be dried before feeding to animals to avoid hydrocyanic and prussic acid poisoning.

Desmodium (Desmodium spp)

Two varieties ;

• Green leaf
• Silver leaf.

• Established from seeds on thoroughly prepared clean beds.
• Can also be inter-planted with Napier grass.
• Cut and wilted before feeding to livestock.

Agroforestry, trees used as fodder crops include:

• Leucaenia
• Calliandra
• Atriplex
• Sesba

Forage Conservation

Forage can be conserved as;

• Hay,
• Silage
• Standing forage.

Importance of forage conservation:

• To reserve excess forage for use during time of shortag
• To avoid unnecessary wastage of f
• Conserved forage can be sold.
• To have sustained supply of feed for livestock throughout the year.

Methods

Hay Making

• This is the dehydration of green pastures to a moisture content of 16-20 per cent:

Steps in hay making:

• Cut the crop when the sun is shining.
• Dry the materials for 1-2 days.
• Windrow the dry material to allow for further drying.
• Bale the dry materials for storage.
• Store under shed or shelter.

Factors Determining Quality of Hay

• Stage of growth at which forage is harvested.
• Leaf content of the forage material.
• Method of handling and curing the hay.
• Form in which material is fed to livestock.
• Species of forage used.
• Amount of foreign materials in forage.

 Silage Making

• This is a feed produced by conserving forage in succulent form through the process of fermentation by anaerobic bacteria.

Steps in silage making:

• Cut the crop and transport it to the silo,
• Material with a high moisture content is wilted in the sun for 4-48 hours before ensiling .
• Material is chopped to reasonable size pieces before filling in the silo.
• Spread the chopped material evenly.
• Check temperature if below 31°C, needs further filling; if above 31 °C compaction is necessary.
• Filling should be complete by the end of the third or fourth day.
• The silo is covered with 15cm of straw, sawdust then 15cm of soil to make it air and water tight.
• A trench is dug round the silo to keep off surface water.

Factors Affecting the Quality of Silage

• Maturity stage of the crop when cut.
• Type of crop.
• Moisture content of the material
• Additives such as molasses.
• Degree of compaction.
• Size of pieces ensiled.
• Amount of foreign materials included in the silage.
• Amount of leaf of the ensiled material.

Standing Forage

• This is forage left in the field to be used during the dry season.