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Vol.4 , No. 5, Publication Date: Aug. 29, 2017, Page: 99-106
 Accessions in the Southern Guinea Savannah of Benue State, Nigeria&description=Benue State of Nigeria has a high potential for ruminant livestock production with its extensive grass cover of the southern Guinea savanna, dominated by gamba grass (<i>Andropogon gayanus</i> Kunth.). However, this has not been evaluated for forage utilization in the state. Investigations were therefore conducted to identify suitable genotypes. Forage nutrient assessments of 20 accessions of <i>A. gayanus</i>, from Benue and neighbouring Kogi States were evaluated at three locations in Benue State: Makurdi (7°43'N, 8°32'E), Otukpa (7°04'N, 7°39'E) and Yandev (7°22'N, 9°02'E). Forage was harvested every six weeks during the rainy season over two years in a completely randomized design with three replicates. These were assessed for crude protein (CP), <i>In-vitro</i> Organic Matter Digestibility (IVOMD) and Metabolizable Energy (ME). There were significant differences in the CP, IVOMD and ME values. Crude protein content ranged from 64.5 g/kg (Ass.11) to 80.5 g/kg DM (Acc.2), IVOMD from 526 (Ass.4) to 563 g/kg DM (Ass.9) and ME from 7.7 (Ass.4) to 8.3 MJ/kg (Ass.9). On the basis of superior CP, IVOMD and ME, <i>Andropogon gayanus</i> Accessions 2 and 9 may be recommended for forage utilization in Benue State.&picture=http://www.aascit.org/aascit/decorators/img/journal/892.jpg)
| [1] | Abel Ibrahim Okwori, Department of Animal Production, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria. |
| [2] | Michael Eghosa Aken’Ova, Department of Agronomy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. |
Benue State of Nigeria has a high potential for ruminant livestock production with its extensive grass cover of the southern Guinea savanna, dominated by gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus Kunth.). However, this has not been evaluated for forage utilization in the state. Investigations were therefore conducted to identify suitable genotypes. Forage nutrient assessments of 20 accessions of A. gayanus, from Benue and neighbouring Kogi States were evaluated at three locations in Benue State: Makurdi (7°43'N, 8°32'E), Otukpa (7°04'N, 7°39'E) and Yandev (7°22'N, 9°02'E). Forage was harvested every six weeks during the rainy season over two years in a completely randomized design with three replicates. These were assessed for crude protein (CP), In-vitro Organic Matter Digestibility (IVOMD) and Metabolizable Energy (ME). There were significant differences in the CP, IVOMD and ME values. Crude protein content ranged from 64.5 g/kg (Ass.11) to 80.5 g/kg DM (Acc.2), IVOMD from 526 (Ass.4) to 563 g/kg DM (Ass.9) and ME from 7.7 (Ass.4) to 8.3 MJ/kg (Ass.9). On the basis of superior CP, IVOMD and ME, Andropogon gayanus Accessions 2 and 9 may be recommended for forage utilization in Benue State.
Keywords
Nutritive Value, Gamba Grass, Southern Guinea Savannah, Benue State
Reference
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