Dry matter yield of Desho grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum) varieties

Abstract

The experiment was carried out to evaluate the agronomic performance and dry matter yield of the Pennisetum pedicellatum varieties (areka, kulmsa, and kindonkosha-591) at Debre Markos University, Ethiopia, during 2023 in a RCBD with three replications. The agronomic performance of all varieties was measured from the six plants that were selected randomly from the middle rows of each plot at 105, 119, and 133 days after planting, and dry matter yield was measured at 135 days after planting. The study showed that there were significant differences (p 0.05) among varieties. The highest values of plant height, number of tillers and leaves per plant, and leaf length and width were measured from the areka variety, followed by the kulmsa variety, while the least was recorded from the kindonkosha-591 variety. The plant height, number of tillers per plant, number of leaves per plant, and dry matter yield of the areka variety were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the kulmsa and kindonkosha-591 varieties. The highest dry matter yield was also produced from areka (11.55 t/ha), followed by kulmsa (8.52) and kindonkosha −591 (7.99 t/ha). The areka grass variety showed superior agronomic performance and dry matter yield, suggesting its potential for improving feed shortage constraints in the study areas.

Keywords

• Agronomy
• Desho grass
• dry matter
• Pennisetum pedicellatum
• varieties