African Journal of Range & Forage Science

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Forage yield and quality response of Napier grass

(Cenchrus purpureus) to different dry season
harvesting management under the subhumid
agroecology of western Ethiopia

Abuye Tulu, Mekonnen Diribsa & Worku Temesgen

To cite this article: Abuye Tulu, Mekonnen Diribsa & Worku Temesgen (2023) Forage yield
and quality response of Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus) to different dry season harvesting
management under the subhumid agroecology of western Ethiopia, African Journal of Range &
Forage Science, 40:2, 236-239, DOI: 10.2989/10220119.2022.2048418

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2022.2048418

Published online: 10 May 2022.

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African Journal of Range & Forage Science 2023, 40(2): 236–239 Copyright © NISC (Pty) Ltd
Printed in South Africa — All rights reserved AFRICAN JOURNAL OF
RANGE & FORAGE SCIENCE
ISSN 1022-0119 EISSN 1727-9380
https://doi.org/10.2989/10220119.2022.2048418

Research Note

Forage yield and quality response of Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus)

to different dry season harvesting management under the subhumid
agroecology of western Ethiopia
Abuye Tulu*, Mekonnen Diribsa and Worku Temesgen

Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Bako Agricultural Research Center, Bako, Ethiopia
*Correspondence: armdilla@gmail.com

A 3 × 2 factorial study was conducted in 2015, 2016 and 2017, to assess the impact of dry season cutting management
on fodder yield and quality of Napier grass. Three harvesting times (November, January and March) and two stubble-
cutting heights (20 and 30 cm) were used in the study. The results revealed that the dry matter (DM) yield and
leaf:stem ratio records in 2015 and 2016 were much higher than in 2017. Tilling performance was lower in 2017 than
in 2015 and 2016. The highest DM yields were recorded during harvesting time in March. In the November harvest,
however, the leaf:stem ratio was greater. In addition, tilling performance was better in March and November than it
was in January. Overall, cutting at a height of 30 cm resulted in better DM yield and tiller numbers than cutting at a
height of 20 cm. Experimental years and cutting height did not affect crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF)
or acid detergent fibre (ADF). Harvesting times did, however, affect CP, NDF and ADF. As CP was greater in November
than in March and both NDF and ADF levels were higher in March, cutting in November at 30 cm is advised.

Keywords: cutting height, dry matter yield, harvesting time, quality traits, seasonal effect

In tropical Africa, most ruminant livestock are raised on
natural pastures, which rapidly diminish in quantity and
quality throughout the dry season (Ajayi et al. 2008). Such
low-quality feed results in uneven growth and weight loss in
livestock. Accordingly, planting high-quality and high-yielding
forages that are suited for a wide range of environmental
conditions is critical to limiting weight loss in animals (Kahindi
et al. 2007). Napier grass (Cenchrus purpureus, syn.
Pennisetum purpureum) is an example of a fodder species
that is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions
of the world. It is a fast-growing tropical fodder grass that
produces large quantities of biomass and it has been known
to withstand periods of prolonged drought (FAO 2016). It
also quickly recovers from a halt in growth when rains arrive
after long periods of drought (Rusdy 2016). Napier grass can
also withstand repeated cutting, with cutting intervals of 45
to 65 days (Pipat et al. 2014). With appropriate management
practices, Napier grass can provide high biomass yields
between 25 t and 38.6 t dry matter (DM) per hectare, which
contains crude protein (CP) yield that ranges from 1.65 t ha−1
to 2.66 t ha−1 (Tulu et al. 2021).
With correct management practices and adequate rainfall,
Napier grass can provide a year-round source of high-quality
feed, making it excellent for all intensive small-scale
farming systems (Rusdy 2016). However, grazing or cutting
management is crucial during the dry season for controlling
the quantity, quality and longevity of the forage stand (Rueda
et al. 2018). Grassland farmers often cut or graze their
pastures to a very low level (0–10 cm) at the start of the wet
season and continue during the dry season/drought period,
resulting in decreased fodder supply during subsequent
regrowth periods (Tudsri et al. 2002; Tekletsadik et al. 2004).
Previous studies (Tessema et al. 2009, 2010; Wangchuk
et al. 2015) on Napier grass in the region focused on its
agronomic traits, such as dry matter production, plant height,
harvesting frequency and responses to various sources and
degrees of fertiliser treatments during the rainy season. To
date, no literature exists evaluating plant growth, harvesting
frequency and responses to fertilisers during the dry season.
Hence, this study aimed to assess the effect that varied
cutting heights and harvesting times during the dry season
had on the fodder yield and quality.
The study was conducted in 2015, 2016 and 2017 at
the Bako Agricultural Research Center located in western
Ethiopia (9°06′ N, 37°09′ E; 1 650 m asl). The climate in
the study area is subhumid and has an average annual
rainfall of 1 265 mm (Figure 1). The wettest months
are May-September and the driest are November-
March. Rainfall, as well as minimum and maximum air
temperatures, was recorded at the Bako Agricultural
Research Center’s meteorological station (Figure 1). The
soil type is sandy clay with 2.5% organic carbon, 10 ppm
accessible P, 0.22% total N and a pH (H2O) of 5.18.
In the first week of June 2015, the start of the rainy season
in the study area, eighteen 6 m2 plots were established.
For simplicity of layout and planting, the experimental
land was adequately cleared, ploughed and labeled. The
treatments were arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement
 African Journal of Range & Forage Science 2023, 40(2): 236–239
Rainfall 2000–2014
300
250
RAINFALL (mm)
200
150
100
50
Jan Feb Mar Apr May
Figure 1: Mean monthly rainfall and minimum and maximum temperature at Bako Agricultural Research Center in Ethiopia
of two components (cutting height, two levels; harvesting
time, three levels) in a randomized block design with three
replications. The study used a high-yielding Napier grass
variety (Bako-04) that the Bako Agricultural Research Center
had previously evaluated in a variety of agro-ecologies
in western Ethiopia. It was propagated using three-node
stem cuttings (two nodes below the surface) at a 30° to 45°
angle, with a 60 and 50 cm interrow and intrarow spacing,
respectively. All experimental plots received 100 kg ha−1 of
di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertiliser at planting and 50
kg ha−1 of urea fertiliser was administered close to the plant
base once the Napier grass was well established.
The frequency of harvesting Napier grass for data
collection was limited to once per year, because the study
was done during the main dry season. Therefore, the
harvests occurred on 1 November 2015 (the start of the dry
season), 1 January 2016 (middle of the dry season) and
1 March 2016 (end of the dry season). Those harvesting
times were maintained in successive trial periods. After
each set of data collection, experimental plots were cut to
treatment stubble heights of 20 and 30 cm and the material
was discarded. The actively growing materials were then
uniformly cut within a day and removed in early August
during the following wet season, after which data recording
began as per the treatment setup. Plots were top-dressed
with 50 kg of urea per hectare after each cutting during the
rainy season (one-third applied immediately after cutting and
the remaining two-thirds applied two weeks later).
Total herbage DM yields, the number of active tillers
and the leaf:stem ratio were measured. The middle row
of each plot was manually harvested with a sickle for total
237
Rainfall 2015 Rainfall 2016 Rainfall 2017
Min temp 2015 Min temp 2016 Min temp 2017
Max temp 2015 Max temp 2016 Max temp 2017 35
30
TEMPERATURE (°C)
25
20
15
10
5
Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
MONTHS
herbage DM yield. The fresh weight of the cut biomass was
determined after harvesting and subsamples of 300 g per
treatment from each replicate were taken and oven-dried
at 65 °C for 72 hours, until a constant weight was attained.
Thereafter, five plants were randomly selected from each
plot, partitioned into leaves and stems and oven-dried
to a constant weight at 65 °C for 72 hours to estimate the
leaf:stem ratio based on DM. After harvesting five culms,
the total number of active growing tillers was estimated and
the average of these was used to determine the number
of tillers. The concentration of nitrogen (N) was evaluated
using AOAC (2005) guidelines and CP was calculated by
multiplying the N result by a factor of 6.25. The Van Soest
et al. (1991) technique was used to determine neutral
detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF). Crude
protein yields (t ha−1) were calculated as a function of total
dry matter yield and CP percent (Schroeder 2013). For
data analysis, SAS (2007) version 9.3 software’s General
Linear Model technique was employed. The least significant
difference test was used to discriminate significantly different
means at a 5% level of significance (p < 0.05).
Total DM yields were affected by the experimental
year (p < 0.05), dry season harvesting time (p < 0.001)
and cutting height (p < 0.01) (Table 1). Yields in 2016
(31.7 t DM ha−1) exceeded those in 2015 and 2017 (mean
28.3 t DM ha−1). The absence of a positive rise in total DM
yield as the experiment progressed, was as a result of
harvesting the grass during the dry season under moisture-
stress conditions, which resulted in plant loss over time.
Total DM yields of Napier grass increased, because the
cutting date was delayed until later in the dry season
238 Tulu, Diribsa and Temesgen

(26.1 vs 29.2 vs 32.8 t DM ha−1). This is most likely as a

Table 2: Effects of year, cutting time and stubble cutting height on mean nutrient composition (mean ± SE) and crude protein yield (t ha−1) (mean ± SE) of Napier grass in Ethiopia. Means
Table 1: Effects of year, cutting time and stubble cutting height on mean dry matter yield (t ha−1) (mean ± SE), leaf:stem ratio (mean ± SE) and tiller number (mean ± SE) of Napier grass in

result of the build-up of dry materials when this treatment

Sig.
ns
ns
ns
Sig.

*
ns
**

**
is left uncut until the end of the dry season. This result is
in line to what has been described in the literature (Melkie

7.2 ± 0.29
68.2 ± 0.66
44.7 ± 0.87
2.3a ± 0.08
31.5a ± 0.99 2005; Taye et al. 2007; Ansah et al. 2010). Cutting at
1.7 ± 0.14
44.3a ± 2.18
30 cm stubble height yielded more DM than cutting at 20 cm

30
Cutting height (cm)
(37.5 vs 27.3 t DM ha−1, respectively). This could be as a
Cutting height (cm)
30

result of the increased height of cut leaves and presence of

more photosynthetic materials, consequently the plants are
able to recover faster (Assuero and Tognetti 2010).

* = (p < 0.05); ns = non-significant; Sig. = significance; CP = crude protein; NDF = neutral detergent fibre; ADF = acid detergent fibre; CPY = crude protein yield.
27.3b ± 0.91
1.8 ± 0.13
39.5b ± 1.59

68.6 ± 0.88
42.8 ± 0.85
2.1b ± 0.07
As shown in Table 1, the leaf:stem ratio (LSR) was higher

7.9 ± 0.2
during the establishing year, than in the two subsequent dry

20
20

seasons (2.2 vs 1.6; p < 0.01). The LSR also decreased,

because harvesting time in the dry season was pushed
back (2.4 vs 1.7 vs 1.2; p < 0.001). Cutting height did not
affect LSR (p > 0.05). The decrease in LSR during the dry
Sig.

ns
*
*
*
Sig.

season harvesting times was consistent with the findings

***
***
*

of Tessema et al. (2010) and Wangchuk et al. (2015) and

could be attributed to longer periods of physiologically
6.9b ± 0.13
73.3a ± 0.48
49.1a ± 0.35
2.3 ± 0.1
32.8a ± 1.48
1.2c ± 0.11
38.9b ± 2.01

stimulating stem development at the expense of leaf

Mar

production. The higher LSR in Napier grass harvested at

Mar

the start of the dry season provides an advantage to animal

*** = (p < 0.001); ** = (p < 0.01); * = (p < 0.05); ns = non-significant; Sig. = significance; DM = dry matter; TN = tiller number

husbandry, because it is a key component in determining

quality, diet selection and fodder intake.
Tiller number (Table 1) was significantly influenced
Cutting time

7.4b ± 0.14
66.5b ± 0.52
42.4b ± 0.54
2.1 ± 0.07
29.2b ± 0.84
1.7b ± 0.15
44.3a ± 2.56
Cutting time

by year (p < 0.05), harvesting time (p < 0.05) and stubble

Jan
Jan

cutting height (p < 0.05). The number of active tillers reduced

significantly as the experimental years progressed (48.6 vs
Ethiopia. Means within factors and parameters followed by different letters differ significantly (p < 0.05)

45.8 vs 31.3 in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively), whereas

it increased from 42.4 in November to a maximum of 44.3
in January, then declined to 38.9 in March. Cutting at 30 cm
26.1c ± 0.93
2.4a ± 0.08
42.4a ± 2.51

9.3a ± 0.26
65.6b ± 0.43
39.6b ± 0.28
2.2 ± 0.11

stubble height produced more tillers than cutting at 20 cm.

Nov

Nov

the number of tillers recorded in this investigation differed

from what has been reported in the literature (Fekede et
within factors and parameters followed by different letters differ significantly (p < 0.05)

al. 2005; Tessema and Alemayehu 2010). This difference

could be as a result of the different seasons during which
Sig.

the studies were conducted, which in the case of the current

Sig.
ns
ns
ns
ns
*
*
*

study was the dry season. According to Assuero and

Tognetti (2010), low availability of growth elements, such as
rainfall, temperature and photoperiod during the off-seasons,
28.1b ± 0.87
1.6b ± 0.16
31.3b ± 0.35

6.9 ± 0.14
69.9 ± 0.91
44.9 ± 1.06
2.2 ± 0.09

may negatively affect pasture growth, output and quality.

2017
2017

The mean nutritional composition of Napier grass did not

differ by experimental year or cutting height (p > 0.05), but
it did differ by harvesting time (p < 0.05) (Table 2). Cutting
Experimental years
Experimental years

height (p < 0.05) had a greater impact on CP yield than

31.7a ± 1.15
1.6b ± 0.17
45.8a ± 1.57

7.9 ± 0.31

43.3 ± 1.06
2.2 ± 0.09

experimental years and cutting times (p > 0.05). Crude

67.7 ± 0.9
2016
2016

protein concentrations decreased significantly, because the

harvesting period (p > 0.05) was extended from November
to March (9.3 vs 7.4 vs 6.9), which is consistent with the
findings reported by Wangchuk et al. (2015). This could be
as a result of a reduced leaf:stem ratio and dilution of CP
28.4b ± 1.59
2.2a ± 0.15
48.6a ± 2.22

7.9 ± 0.31

42.9 ± 1.07
67.8 ± 0.9

2.2 ± 0.1

concentration later in the growth cycle, as a result of rapid

2015

2015

structural carbohydrate accumulation (Van Soest 1994).

Unlike CP content, both fibre components, neutral detergent
fibre (65.6 vs 67.5 vs 73.3) and acid detergent fibre (39.6 vs
42.4 vs 49.1) increased with harvesting times, possibly as a
result of enhanced cell wall lignification as forage matured
Leaf:stem ratio
Total DM yield

(Van Soest 1994). Cutting at 30 cm stubble height resulted in

Parameters

Parameters

a greater CP yield, which followed the same trend, because

the higher total DM yield recorded at 30 cm, compared with
NDF

CPY
ADF
CP
TN

20 cm, because CP yield is a reflection of total DM yield.

African Journal of Range & Forage Science 2023, 40(2): 236–239
This study showed that Napier grass yields and
quality aspects can be improved during the dry season,
if harvesting timing and cutting height are optimised.
The overall herbage dry matter yield did not increase
as production years progressed, but it did increase with
harvesting periods and aboveground stubble-cutting heights.
The ratio of leaves to stems varied more with experimental
years and cutting times than with cutting height, although
the number of tillers was influenced by the experimental
years, cutting heights and cutting times. Experimental
years and cutting height did not affect crude protein, neutral
detergent fibre, or acid detergent fibre, but harvesting times
did. Cutting height, however, had a greater impact on CP
yield than experimental years or cutting times. In general,
herbage yields generally decline as the production year
progresses, requiring the exploration of alternative methods,
such as conserving pasture as silage during its active
growing season and storing it for future use. If the pasture
must be used throughout the dry season, cutting it at 30 cm
height at the beginning of the dry season and using it as
a cut-and-carry system or storage in the form of silage is
recommended, because the leaf:stem ratio and CP content
are at their highest at this harvesting time.
ORCID
Abuye Tulu: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9530-2268
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Associate Editor: F Muller