Abstract

AVELLANEDA AVELLANEDA MSC, Yesid; MANCIPE MUNOZ, Edgar Augusto  and  VARGAS MARTINEZ MSC, PHD, Juan de Jesús. Effect of regrowth period on morphological development and chemical composition of kikuyu grass (Cenchrus clandestinus) in Colombian’s highlands. Ces. Med. Vet. Zootec. [online]. 2020, vol.15, n.2, pp.23-37. ISSN 1900-9607.  https://doi.org/10.21615/cesmvz.15.2.2.

Compositional and growth dynamics knowledge of Kikuyu grass (Cenchrus clandestinus) allows establishing strategies to maximize animal performance. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the regrowth period on morphological, compositional, and productive variables of Kikuyu grass in Alto Chicamocha (AC), Bogotá savanna (SB) and Ubaté-Chiquinquirá (UC) dairying regions, during rainy and dry seasons. Two farms were selected per region and the forage growth was evaluated from 7 to 70 regrowth day. Plant height, leaf length and width, and stolon width were determined. Also, biomass production and chemical composition were defined. The data were analyzed as a randomized complete design with repeated measurements (10 regrowth stages). Plant height was higher (p <0.05) during the rainy season from day 14, 42, and 49 in AC, SB, and UC, respectively. Leaf number increased (p<0.05) during the forage regrowth, independently of the season in SB and UC. Dry matter production was higher (p <0.05) in the rainy season, from day 42 in AC and UC, and 49 in SB. Crude protein decreased (p <0.05) during the growth period and presented high values in the rainy season in AC and SB regions. The production and chemical composition of the Kikuyu grass was affected by regrowth age and season, which requires adjusting the feeding programs related to forage characteristics and animal nutrient requirements in each region.

Keywords : Regrowth period; grazing; Pennisetum clandestinum; grazing systems..

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