An experiment was conducted to assess the possibility of quantitatively and qualitatively enhancing fodder production on contour bunds by associating grasses and nitrogen-fixing shrubs. Treatments were pure hedges (2 rows) of a grass (Pennisetum purpureum or Tripsacum laxum) or a shrub (Calliandra calothyrsus, Leucaena diversifolia or Sesbania sesban), and mixed hedges that comprised a row of a shrub and a row of a grass. Yields of mixed hedges of calliandra-tripsacum (2.06 kg/m) and leucaena-tripsacum (1.83 kg/m) were not significantly (P > 0.05) different from those of the pure tripsacum plots (2.22 kg/m). Sesbania did not withstand repeated cutting in the second year and died out. Goats grazing tripsacum would suffer a protein deficiency relative to the availability of energy. However, the higher N content of forage from mixed calliandra-tripsacum and leucaena-tripsacum hedges would provide digestible protein levels above the maintenance requirement for goats. The implications for livestock and crop production of producing higher quality fodder from the mixed hedges are discussed. We recommend the planting of calliandra-tripsacum and leucaena-tripsacum hedges for fodder production on contour bunds in the highlands of Burundi.
Tag: cuttings
Effects of harvesting techniques and intensities on productivity of Oxytenanthera abyssinica in Pawe district, North-western Ethiopia
Bamboos are naturally fast-growing species in tropical and non-tropical regions, with some species growing more than 1 m per day. Oxytenanthera abyssinica is an important bamboo species that could help meet current and future needs worldwide. This study was designed to assess the effects of harvesting techniques and intensities on sustainable utilization of O. abyssinica. Clumps that had a similar number culms were used to conduct the experiment. A factorial experiment with two harvesting techniques (X-shape and Horse-shoe shape) and five levels of harvesting intensities (25, 50, 75, 100 and 0 % harvesting of mature culms) was conducted for five successive years in the dry season. Sprouted and dead shoots, recruited culms, and mean culm diameter at breast height were recorded. Data were analysed using two-way-ANOVA. Culm/shoot sprouting had significantly different values with harvesting techniques; the X-shape harvesting technique produced a higher number culms than horse-shoe harvesting technique. Interaction effects between harvesting techniques and harvesting intensities on shoot sprouting, culm recruitment and shoot abortion were not observed. Both harvesting techniques and intensities had a significant effect on mean culm diameter; i.e., 25 % and 75 % of the mature culms harvested under the X-shape and horse-shoe harvesting techniques, respectively, produced thicker bamboo culms than the unharvested clump (control). Culm recruitment decreased in the second year, and then increased in the third year, subsequently showed a decreasing trend for all treatments. This may have been related to repeated culm harvesting. The population structure has also varied with harvesting technique and intensity. To utilize this species sustainably, the species may need a specific cutting cycle. This study suggests the need for further study through incorporating cutting cycles with different levels of harvesting intensity to develop a sustainable management method.