How to grow Guinea Grass and Para grass

How to grow Guinea Grass
How to grow Guinea Grass


How to grow Guinea Grass/
Production Technology

Common name: Guinea grass, green panic grass.

Scientific name: Megathyrsus maximus.

Family: Poaceae.

Guinea grass is indigenous to tropical Africa. It is a tall (1­4.5 m), tufted and fast growing highly  palatable perennial grass. It has short creeping rhizome. Establishes readily by seed or plantation of  rooted slips. Crude protein ranges from 4 to 14%.

Variety 

Hamil, PPG ­14, Makuni, Rivers­dale,  CO 1, CO 2 etc. Climate Throughout the year under irrigated conditions. Suitable for growing during monsoon season under  rainfed condition.

Soil 

All types of soil with good drainage. Does not come up well on heavy clay soil or flooded or  waterlogged conditions.

Land preparation 

Plough 2 to 3 times to obtain a good tilth and form ridges and furrows 50 cm apart.

Seed Rate 

•  Seed:  2.5 kg/ha.

•  Rooted:  Slips 40,000 /ha.

Spacing  

50 X 30 cm.

Fertilization 

Basal Application

•  FYM –  25 tonnes/ha. •  N – 50 kg/ha. •  P2O5 –  50 kg/ha. •  K2O –  40 kg/ha.

Top dressing

•  50 kg N 30 days after planting. •  25 kg N/ha after each cut.

Weeding 

First hoeing and weeding on 30 day after germination. Earthing up once in three harvests.

Irrigation  

Once in ten days or depending upon soil condition. Immediately after planting, life irrigation on 3rd  Day and thereafter once in 10 days depending on soil type and weather parameters.

Plant protection  

Generally not needed

Harvesting  

The first harvest 75 ­ 80 days after planting and subsequent harvests are made at an interval of 40 ­ 45  days.

Yield 

320 t/ha/year (in 7 harvests).

Production Technology of Para grass
How to grow Para grass

Production Technology of Para grass

Common name: para grass, buffalo grass, Carib grass, Scotch grass etc.

Scientific name: Brachiaria mutica.

Family: Poaceae.

Paragrass is a short­culmed, stoloniferous perennial up to 200 cm high with long, hairy leaf­blades  about 16 mm wide. Panicle 10­20 cm long with solitary racemose or compound branches and  glabrous, acute, irregularly multiseriate spikelets 3­3.5 mm long.

Variety

There is no recommended variety.

Climate

It is a perennial grass suitable for cultivation in humid areas. It is grown in seasonally flooded valleys  and lowlands and can withstand water logging and long term flooding. Adapted to high­rainfall  tropical and subtropical conditions, but in protected areas it can persist with rainfall as low as 900  mm per year. Optimum temperature for growth 21°C. Minimum temperature for growth 15°C

Soil

It cannot grow on dry lands in arid or semi arid areas. Water logged soils are best suited for this crop.  It can be grown on sandy soils also, provided water supply is sufficient.

Land Preparation

An initial ploughing may be necessary for a rough seed­bed in cleared land. Sprigs can be hand  planted in the ashes of burnt wet sclerophyll forest or rain forest or can be directly planted into  swampy land.

Planting 

Materials: Seed setting is very poor in this grass. It is propagated exclusively by stem cuttings.

Time: It can be planted at any time but June ­ July planting is advisable under rainfed.

Method: Stems with 2-­3 nodes are planted in 45­-60 cm rows at 20 cm spacing. The stems are  pressed into wet soil leaving the two ends sticking up.

Seed rate

800­-1000 kg of stem cuttings are needed for planting one hectare.

Fertilizer Application

It responds readily to nitrogen. On phosphorus deficient soils a dressing of 500 kg/ha should be  applied prior to planting with subsequent topdressing of 120­-250 kg/ha per year for a few years.  Nitrogen applied toward the end of summer or in autumn will give better winter growth. It tolerates  high aluminium.

Diseases 

It is relatively free of diseases. Coccid bug attack associated with sooty mould fungus (Capnodium  sp.) causes damage to young leafy shoots. Blast (Piricularia sp.) and sheath blight (Rhizoctonia sp.)  occur in Thailand.

Harvesting 

The first cut is taken 75­-80 days after planting and the subsequent cuts at 40­-45 days interval.

Yield

Totally, 6­-9 cuts can be taken in a year with an average green fodder yield of 80­-100 t/ha.

 

Useful Agricultural Websites

Online Agricultural Study

Food and Agricultural Organization

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