Agronomic performance and nutritive value of Urochloa species, Desho and Rhodes grass grown in sub-humid central Ethiopia

Improved forage grasses with high quality and biomass are a crucial additional feed source for cereal-livestock farming in Ethiopia. This study compared the performance of 4 Urochloa species [U. brizantha (DZF-13379), U. humidicola (DZF-9222), U. decumbens ‘Basilisk’ (DZF-10871) and U. mutica (DZF-483)] with other 2 commonly used grasses, Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana ‘Massaba’) and Desho grass (Pennisetum glaucifolium local variety Kindu kosha), over 3 years during the main rainy season in Bishoftu in a sub-humid area of Ethiopia. The experiment was conducted using a completely randomized block design. There was significant variation among species for agronomic parameters. The species × year interaction was significant for dry matter yield, plant height, and plot cover but not significant for leaf-to-stem ratio. Nutritional value [ash, acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD)] was significantly different among species with no differences for neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL). All species showed potential as alternative ruminant feeds with U. mutica and U. brizantha the highest yielding in the sub-humid environment.