The utilization of grasses, legumes, and other forage crops for cattle feeding in Puerto Rico III. Comparison of fertilized guinea Grass, Para grass, Tropical kudzu and Guinea grass, and Tropical kudzu

Abstract

A third grazing trial of 221 days was conducted under the same procedure as in trial No. 1 (2). A modification was introduced in that the calculation of T.D.N, was made using the chemical analysis of the roughages, and the digestion coefficients given by the Pasture Research Committee (1). The grasses under trial were, Para grass-kudzu, in its third year, Guinea grass-kudzu, in its first year, and fertilized Guinea grass, and its second year. In this experiment Guinea grass received only two applications of nitrogen instead of three as in trial No. 2. According to our observations this was because the grass was growing well and had a nice green color. Nitrogen was applied when the leaves began turning yellowish. Para grass-kudzu was uniform in performance, the carrying capacity being 1 head in the first trial, 1 head in the second, and 0.77 head for this trial. The carrying capacity of the mixture of Guinea grass and kudzu was 1.09, but since this grass was planted in the old kudzu stand, it received the benefits of the nitrogen accumulation in the soil producing an exuberant growth at the beginning of the trial. As a result, larger quantities of residue were clipped after rotations affecting the carrying capacity favorably. Although the results are encouraging, further investigations are needed to to make definite recommendations. Guinea grass alone had a carrying capacity of 0.68 head. It was lower than in the previous trial. The difference can be attributed to the difference in nitrogen supplied, as nitrogen increases the quantity of roughage produced and its nutritive value.