Effect of mineral fertilizer on fodder biomass production and nutritive value of guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus cv. “C1”)

Abstract

The major constraint of livestock production in Burkina Faso is the low availability of quality feed resources, especially in the dry season, leading to a decline in livestock productivity. In that context, fodder production is a good alternative for improving quality fodder availably. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of mineral fertilizer application on fodder biomass production and the nutritional value of Megathyrsus maximus cv.“C1”. To do this, a trial was carried out during the 2018 wet cropping season at the research station of the Institute for the Environment and Agricultural Research, in Farako-bâ. The experimental design used is a
completely randomized Fischer block with four (04) replications and two levels of NPK applications (0 kg/ha and 100 kg/ha). The results showed that application of 100 kg/ha of NPK has a significant effect on plants growth in height but no significant difference (p>0.05) was observed for fodder biomass production and the nutritional value of Megathyrsus maximus cv. “C1”. This indicated that application of 100 kg/ha of NPK is not sufficient for improving fodder biomass and the nutritional value of Megathyrsus maximus cv. “C1”.