Abstract

VARGAS MARTINEZ, Juan de Jesús; SIERRA ALARCON, Andrea Milena; MANCIPE MUNOZ, Edgar Augusto  and  AVELLANEDA AVELLANEDA, Yesid. Kikuyu, present grass in ruminant production systems in tropic Colombian highlands. Ces. Med. Vet. Zootec. [online]. 2018, vol.13, n.2, pp.137-156. ISSN 1900-9607.  https://doi.org/10.21615/cesmvz.13.2.4.

Colombian ruminants’ systems are supported in grasslands, mainly kikuyu in highlands (Cenchrus clandestinus, previously Pennisetum clandestinum). The objective of this work was to compile information related to kikuyu and identify new research areas to promote an efficient and sustainable ruminants’ systems supported in kikuyu. The literature suggests that kikuyu presents great resilience to adverse environmental conditions, especially in new scenarios of climatic variability. In addition, literature reports management strategies to improve animal production, product quality and reduce environmental impact. However, kikuyu presents limitations of agronomic and compositional response, that makes necessary to develop research works that allow increase knowledge between edafo-climatic relations and management conditions to development optimization models for kikuyu production systems. Finally, it is necessary to promote phenotype and genotype studies and define genetic improvement programs to enhance grass expression under specific environmental conditions.

Keywords : Adaptation; climate change; Cenchrus clandestinus; Pennisetum clandestinum.

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