Productivity of Irrigated Tropical Grasses under Different Clipping Frequencies in the Semidesert Region of The Sudan

Abstract

On irrigated pastures, buffel grass, rhodes grass, bambatsi panicgrass, and green panicgrass were generally more productive than para grass, blue panic, and switchgrass. Clipping at 4- and 6-week intervals during the summer resulted in greater total annual yield than clipping at 2-week intervals. However, percent crude protein in grasses clipped at 2-week intervals was double that in grasses clipped at 6-week intervals. Swtichgrass, para grass, and blue panic appeared least able to withstand clipping over the 2-year period of the study. The results suggested that buffel grass, green panic, bambatsi panic, and rhodes grass, harvested at 4-week intervals would be the best choice for production of nutritious forage on irrigated pastures in the semiarid region of the Sudan.