1. Why are grasses suitable as ruminant feed?  Comprise of herbaceous materials that are easily grazed and digested  Fulfills nutrient requirements  No toxic constituents  Able to regrow after cutting or grazing  Continuous growth habit  Spreads by rhizomes or stolons, rapid ground coverage

2. Why grasses are able to regrow after being cut or grazed  Produce fresh shoots by tillering that replaces cut portion  Non-reproductive shoots have growing points at base of plant that are not damaged by cutting or grazing  Rhizomes and stolons are not affected by cutting or grazing

5. Important Characteristics of Pasture Grasses  Growth habit – upright, creeping, rhizomatous  Utilization – grazed, cut and carry, both  Ecological adaptation – dry areas, wet areas, sandy  Propagation – by seeds or vegetative only  Nutritive value – protein, digestibility, minerals  Toxic components  Compatibility – can be grown with legumes?

6. IMPROVED PASTURE GRASSES IN MALAYSIA

7. Origin  All improved pasture grasses are indigenous to Africa  Earliest species brought in directly by the British administration  After 1972, MARDI introduced species that have been tested in Australia by CSIRO

8. Pasture species introductions  Most species have been introduced from Africa  MARDI & CSIRO (Australia) initiated program of pasture grass introductions in 1972  60 grasses and 63 legumes were evaluated

9. Basis for selection  Adaptation to local condition  Persistence to defoliation  Resistance to pest and diseases  Tolerance to drought  Growth characteristics  Effective nodulation for legumes  palatability

11. History  Before 1972:  Napier (Elephant Grass)  Guinea  After 1972  Setaria  Signal  MARDI Digit  King grass  Dwarf Napier

12. Grasses Tall, bunch type, suitable for cutting Short, stoloniferous, suitable for grazing Elephant grass (Napier) Guinea Setaria splendida Signal grass Setaria kuzungula MARDI Digit Para grass

13. Pennisetum purpureum  Napier, Elephant, rumput gajah  Introduced to Malaysia in 1920’s  Very tall, can reach 4 m  Used mainly as cut fodder, cut every 4-6 weeks  Sometimes conserved as silage  High yielding, 30-40 t/ha DM  Needs good rainfall, 1200-2000 mm/yr  High nutrient requirement, usually fertilized with N at 200-400 kg N/ha

14. Napier grown as fodder

15. New varieties of Pennisetum  King Grass: P. purpureum x P. typhoides  A bigger hybrid, more leafy and broader leaves  Dwarf Napier: Taiwan Napier – shorter and less stems

16. Taiwan Napier

17. Napier grown at NFC Gemas

22. Propagation  Napier produces seeds but the seeds are not viable (infertile)  Napier is usually planted by stem cuttings

23. Guinea Grass  Panicum maximum  Introduced about 1950’s  Bunch grass, produce flowers and seeds profusely  Can be cut or grazed  Can be planted with legumes

25. Setaria  Two varieties:  Setaria sphacelata var sericea  Setaria sphacelata var splendida  Splendida do not produce seeds and less flowers, broader leaves  Sericea – cv kuzungula, nandi. Can be planted with seeds

27. Setaria in Darabif Farm

28. Signal grass (Brachiaria decumbens)  Most widely planted pasture grass in Malaysia  Very aggressive, stoloniferous grass  Mainly sown by seeds  Unsuitable for small ruminants (goats and sheep): causes photosensitisation and liver necrosis  Used for slope stabilization on highways  Introduced to Malaysia in 1970’s

31. Brachiaria humidicola  Used as a substitute for Signal where sheep and goats are grazed  Tolerant to shade, useful under tree crops  Nutritive quality not as good as Signal, lower leaf-to- stem ratio

32. Brachiaria humidicola under rubber

33. Para Grass (Brachiaria mutica)  Especially adapted to very wet conditions  Grows naturally in waterways  Long stolons, very hairy leaves and stems  Not very palatable to animals  Not tolerant to heavy grazing  Established using cuttings

34. MARDI Digit (Digitaria setivalva)  Most suitable for small ruminants because of short growth habit and high leaf-to-stem ratio  Must be established vegetatively as no viable seeds are produced  Brought in from Florida in mid 1970’s although it originated from Africa

35. MARDI Digit grown in Guthrie sheep farm