The utilization of grasses, legumes and other forage crops for cattle feeding in Puerto Rico II. Comparison of fertilized guinea grass, para grass and tropical kudzu and tropical kudzu alone as pasture crops

Abstract

A second grazing trial was conducted using the same procedure of the first except that nitrogenous fertilizer was applied to Guinea grass. This time the three roughages compared were Para grass-Kudzu, Kudzu alone and Guinea grass. The performance of Para grass-Kudzu mixture was as uniform as in the previous trial; the carrying capacity being around one head per acre. The results obtained with fertilized Guinea grass more than doubled the results in the previous trial where no fertilizer was used. Besides an increase in forage, there was also an increase in protein content. The carrying capacity increased from 0.42 to 1.12 heads per acre. Kudzu had a lower carrying capacity than the mixture with Para grass and Guinea grass. The conclusions arrived at in relation to the mixture of Para grass-Kudzu in the previous trial were verified by the results of this experiment. The uniformity in performance and high quality forage more than recommends the use of this combination for grazing, especially in the humid section of the northern part of the Island. Guinea grass is a well known forage crop, principally in the grazing area of the South. Under normal conditions, with no fertilization, it is low in protein content. Fertilization increased the protein and doubled the yield but farmers must take into consideration the cost of the fertilizer and that fertilization has only an immediate effect on the grass needing new applications at certain intervals to maintain that condition. In contrast, legumes do have a more permanent effect on the soil and the grasses growing with them. This makes them recommendable. Adapted legume grass mixtures are no more expensive to establish and are cheaper than grasses alone from all points of view. The planting of Kudzu alone is not to be recommended.