Effect of plant spacing and nitrogen fertilizer levels on the growth, dry‐matter yield and nutritive quality of Columbus grass (Sorghum almum stapf) in southwest Nigeria

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in 2006 and 2007 to determine the agronomic performance and nutritive value of Sorghum almum for introduction in the derived savannah area of Nigeria. The experiment was arranged in a 2 · 4 factorial design with 2 plant spacings (0AE5 · 0AE5 m and 1AE0 · 1AE0 m) and 4 nitrogen (N) fertilizer levels (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg N ha )1 ). Plant height, tiller number, leaf proportion, biomass yield and nutritive value of the herbage were evaluated as part of the search for alternatives (especially drought tolerant) to local forages for dry season feeding of ruminants. Herbage yield data were tested for linear, quadratic and cubic trends to identify the optimal fertilizer levels for both spacings. Spacing · N interactions (P < 0AE05) were observed for plant height and tiller number in both years. Agronomic performance was marginally better in 2007 compared with 2006. The maximum dry-matter (DM) yield of 3500 and 3740 kg ha )1 for the more dense row spacing (0AE5 · 0AE5 m) was achieved at N fertilizer levels of 144 and 149 kg N ha )1 for 2006 and 2007 respectively. For the less dense (1AE0 · 1AE0 m) row spacing, the maximum DM yield of 3020 and 3240 kg ha )1 was achieved at 51 and 97 kg N ha )1 for 2006 and 2007 respectively. The crude protein content of the grass ranged from 61 to 89 g kg )1 DM, while the neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content ranged from 700 to 734 g kg )1 DM. The ability of S. almum to persist into the second year in this region is seen as a promising index as persistence is one of the characteristics of a good forage plant. Considering the exorbitant price of N fertilizer, less dense row spacing with N fertilizer rate in the range of 50-100 kg N ha )1 is hereby recommended for this region.

Effects of soil types and fertilizers on growth, yield, and quality of edibleAmaranthus tricolor linesin Okinawa, Japan

“…Similar result in some amaranth lines was reported by Miah et al (2013). Percent of total N increased with the fertilizers in both the BB and BC lines, which agreed with the results in S. almum reported by Olanite et al (2010).…”

“…The growth parameters and yield of BC amaranth line increased almost similarly with all fertilizer levels (Table 4), but agronomic efficiency tented to decrease with the 40 and 50 g m −2 , indicating that the fertilizer rate of 20-30 g m −2 is better for BC cultivation in gray soil. Similar trend in agronomic efficiency of fertilizer was found in Panicum repens, Sorghum almum, and Allium sativum (Hossain et al, 2004;Nori et al, 2012;Olanite et al, 2010).…”

“…The treatment of HN resulted in lower shoot dry weight than lN, indicating that excessive level of N fertilizer without P and K was not balanced for plant to uptake necessary nutrients or proper photosynthetic function. Similarly, other studies reported that a plant species increases biomass with the increasing N application up to a certain level, thereafter decreases (Hossain et al, 2004;Nori et al, 2012;Olanite et al, 2010).…”

Production and nutritional value of sorghum and black oat forages under nitrogen fertilization

“…In Nigeria, Olanite et al . () evaluated forage sorghum ( Sorghum almum ) with four N rates (0, 60, 120 and 180 kg ha −1 ) and obtained 3·5 and 3·7 t DM ha −1 under 144 and 149 kg N ha −1 , in 2006 and 2007 respectively. These levels of production are very low when compared to the results presented in the first season in this work, but not very different to those obtained in the second season when forage production was affected by rainfall availability.…”

“…Sorghum, originally from central Africa and Asia, is now cultivated in 104 countries over an estimated area of nearly 44 m ha (FAO, ). Sorghum forage production, globally, ranges from 2·7 to 18·7 t DM ha −1 , according to climatic factors (rainfall, temperature and solar radiation), crop management and soil nutrient availability (Neumann et al ., ; Gherbin et al ., ; Simili et al ., ; Olanite et al ., ).…”