Variation in Yield and Yield Components of Tropical Forage Grass Species Evaluated in the Southern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria

Seven improved tropical grass species, namely, Andropogon gayanus Kunth., Brachiaria ruziziensis Germain & Evrard, Cenchrus ciliaris L., Chloris gayana Kunth, Panicum maximum var. coloratum C.T, Paspalum orbiculare G. Forstand Sorghum almum Parodi were evaluated for yield and yield components at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria in 2015 and 2016. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications in each of the years. Results showed that the evaluated grass species could be cut at an early age when the leaf: stem ratio is high enough for the ruminants to derive maximum nutritional benefit and need not be delayed till 16 weeks after planting. The highest correlation between plant height and grain yield was observed at 4 weeks (r = 0.69) and 8 weeks (r = 0.70) after planting, implying that the taller the plant species at this stage of growth, the higher the probability for high grain yield. Identification and selection of tropical grass species for improvement in grain production should, therefore, be carried out between 4 and 8 weeks of growth. All the seven tropical forage grass species performed favourably well in terms of growth and yield, with the positive response to increasing rainfall and further studies on multi-location evaluation within the Southern Guinea Savanna agro-ecologicalal zone of Nigeria is recommended.