Morphological characteristics and nutritive value of some grass species in an arid ecosystem

Abstract

An experiment was conducted on four genotypes of Cenchrus ciliaris, two genotypes of C. setigerus and one genotype each of Panicum maximum, P. antidotale and Lasirus sindicus grasses at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Haryana, India in 2003 and 2004. Two cuts were taken in the months of September and November in each year. Measurements were made of seven morphological characteristics and the nutritive value of the grasses. The total green fodder yield was highest in C. ciliaris cv. IGFRI in 2003 and in C. ciliaris cv. CAZRI 75 in 2004. Total dry matter (DM) yield was highest in P. maximum cv. IGFRI and C. ciliaris cv. CAZRI 75 in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Crude protein and digestible DM yields were highest in C. ciliaris cv. CAZRI 75. It was concluded that C. ciliaris cv. CAZRI 75 can be recommended as the one with the most potential among the studied grasses for use in the arid regions of south-west Haryana, India.

Comparative morphological screening of some species of Cenchrus L. (Poaceae) from Thar Desert of Rajasthan, India.

“…Observations on the species were recorded in the field as well as in the laboratory in their natural habitat and in living form. The results on plant morphological characteristics for the three species of Cenchrus fit well with the published literature on Cenchrus ciliaris (Goel et al, 2011;Saini et al, 2007;Chen and Kuoh, 2004), Cenchrus setigerus (Goel et al, 2011;Saini et al, 2007) and Cenchrus biflorus (Goel et al, 2011;Saini et al, 2007) except few differences of measurements. It may be because of climatic and habitat conditions or some other factor may cause such discrepancies.…”

Oxidative damage and antioxidant defenses as potential indicators of salt-tolerant Cenchrus ciliaris L. genotypes

“…Most of these studies suggest a correlation between tolerance to salinity stress and the presence of an efficient antioxidant system (Ashraf, 2009;Gossett et al, 1994;Hernandez et al, 1995;Luna et al, 2002;Mittova et al, 2003). The present study was conducted as part of a genetic improvement program of Cenchrus ciliaris L., an important pasture grass used for cattle and sheep production in arid and semiarid regions worldwide (Griffa et al, 2006;Saini et al, 2007). While there is some evidence about tolerance of Cenchrus ciliaris L. to some abiotic stress factors (Ayerza, 1981;De Leon, 2004), a comprehensive study about salt tolerance as well as information about the relationship between salt tolerance and oxidative stress in this species is still lacking.…”

Forage yield and quality of buffel ‘H‐17’ and Urochloa hybrids at different regrowth ages under semi‐arid conditions

“…Cenchrus ciliaris L.) was introduced. This decreased the paddock coefficient from 12 to 4 ha/AU (Hanselka, ) while the nutritional value of the forage was increased with crude protein (CP) contents from 7% to 13% (Saini, Jain, & Joshi, ), and drought tolerance was improved. Under rainfed conditions, the annual dry matter (DM) yields reached up to 9 t/ha (Garay‐Martínez et al, , ), supporting an animal load of 1.8 AU ha/year.…”