C A T T L E F E E D

MA K E G R A S S F O R ABOUT

C AT T L E F O D D E R ATH-HYDROTURF

ATH-HydroTurf is a Hydro
seeding company operating out
of Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Darussalam. We provide
hydro-seeding and soil erosion
management services in Brunei
Darussalam and the states of
Sabah & Sarawak in East Malaysia
on the Island of Borneo. Establi-
shed since 1995, Hydroturf (as we
are friendly addressed in the local
industry) is the only dedicated
hydro seeding specialist in the
nation.

Our in house technical personnel,

staff and contract technical
consultants carry a combined
experience of well over 25 years.
They are committed & skilled in
providing high caliber technical
advice. Delivering quality
hydro-seeding while keeping the
project on time and on the
budget is our Mission. Your
experience in dealing with
ATH-HydroTurf will be second to
none as we are prominently
known for our customer service.

ATH-H YDRO T URF ATH-H YDRO T URF M S . L ING H UNG (M ANAGER A DMIN & F INANCE )
# 15, S PG . 23-46-7, P.O. B OX 584, MPC, M R . S RINIVASAN V ARATHARAJAN (F IELD T ECHNICIAN ) www.ath-hydroturf.com
J LN . M ANGGIS S ATU , BC3615 B ANDAR S ERI B EGAWAN BB 3577, P HONE : +673 2333541
B ANDAR S ERI B EGAWAN , N EGARA B RUNEI D ARUSSALAM . F AX : +673 2336641
N EGARA B RUNEI D ARUSSALAM . E MAIL : info@ath-hydroturf.com
 Cattle Feed (Napier Grass)
Napier Grass (Pennisetum purpureum) commonly referred to as
elephant grass is popular fodder crop for small scale dairy farmers in the
high and medium potential dairy production areas of Kenya under the
cut & carry system of production.

It is a fast growing, deeply rooted, perennial grass growing up to 4

metres tall that can spread by underground stems to form thick ground
cover. Napier is easy to establish and persistent; drought tolerant;
suitable for cutting and very good for silage making. Napier grass is a
high yielding fodder crop with good palatability, highly nutritious
especially when young, dark green leaves and less than 1 metre tall.

It is also used as a soil stabilizer in soil conservation methods and can be

intercropped with various forage legumes.

Napier is not suitable for direct grazing since stumping results in poor
regeneration. It is vulnerable to disease and pest attacks. It takes up a lot
of nutrients from the soils and is highly demanding on nutrient recyclin-
g/fertilizer application.

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the feeding value of

Pennisetum macrourum, commonly known as wild Napier grass, as a
feed for cattle. Experiment 1 was a nutritive value determination using
four crossbred steers and four diets in a 4×4 Latin square design
experiment. The four diets were: wild Napier grass + mineral/vitamin
mixture (WN), wild Napier grass + 0.5 kg fishmeal + 0.5 kg maize bran
+ mineral/vitamin mixture (MB+FM), wild Napier grass + 0.5 kg molas-
ses + mineral/vitamin mixture (MO) and wild Napier grass + 0.5 kg
fishmeal + 0.5 kg molasses + mineral/vitamin mixture (MO+FM). Wild
Napier grass contained 668, 256 and 78 g/kg DM of NDF, ADF and CP,
respectively. The DM intake (67.9, 118.9, 96, 132.9 g/kg for animals on
WN, MB+FM, MO and MO+FM, respectively) differed (P<0.05) among
diets. Metabolizable energy (ME) intake increased (P<0.05) from 17.6
to 32.7 (MJ per day) for steers on diets WN and MO+FM, respectively
and N retention was increased (P<0.05) from 7.6 to 51.5 g per day in
diets WN and MO+FM, respectively. N absorbed was more efficiently
retained (P<0.05) with MO+FM supplements. Experiment 2, used 16
milking cows fed on similar diets to Experiment 1 in a completely Ecological Requirements
randomized experiment. DM intake differed (P<0.05) among diets,
except between BM+FM and MO and ranged from 6.3 to 8.7 kg in diets It can be grown at altitudes ranging from sea level to 2,000m above sea
WN and MO+FM, respectively. All cows lost weight, with those on MO level. When grown at altitudes above 2000 m, growth and regeneration
after cutting is slow and it may die due to frost. It does best in high
diet losing (P<0.05) the most weight. Milk yield differed (P<0.05)
rainfall areas, over 1500 mm per year.
among diets ranging from 7.8 to 15.5 kg per cow per day for cows on
WN and MO+FM, respectively. Although steers and cows performed Napier grass can grow in almost any soils; but does best in deep, fertile,
better when supplemented with FM, its high cost suggests that well draining soils.
feeding of molasses as an inexpensive source of fermentable carbohy-
drates in the rumen may be recommended as it results in adequate
performance. www.ath-hydroturf.com