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In order to evaluate the productive performance of four cultivars of Pennisetum purpureum (King-grass, Cuba CT-169, Cuba CT-115 and Taiwán morado), an experiment was conducted on a Grayish Brown soil, at the Pasture and Forage Research Station of Las Tunas (Cuba). The soil was prepared with minimum tillage, and a planting distance of 0,90 m between rows and 0,60 m between plants was used. The age of the seed used was 90 days and the planting depth, from 15 to 20 cm. The study was conducted during two years, with neither irrigation nor fertilization. A randomized block design was used, with five replications. The growth dynamics showed a similar pattern in all the cultivars, and Cuba CT-169 stood out. The greatest height in the first year was reached during the period May-July, and in the second year, in July-September. In the first year there were not differences in the DM yield among the cultivars, in the same season; while in the second year there were significant differences during the rainy season and the annual total, and CT-169 differed significantly from the rest (37,7 and 43,8t DM/ha, respectively). During the dry season the cultivars had a similar performance. The percentage of leaves did not differ in both seasons of the first year; while in the second year the cultivars showed significant differences during the dry season, and the CT-169 exceeded the rest in 3 to 5 percentage units. It is concluded that under the edaphoclimatic conditions of this study cv. CT-169 had a better performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]