Agronomic Properties of Aleman Grass (Echinochloa polystachya), Para Grass (Brachiaria mutica), Setaria Grass (Setaria splendida) Mixtures and Their Palatability in Sheep.

A study was conducted to evaluate the agronomic properties of Aleman grass (Echinochloa polystachya), Para grass (Brachiaria mutica) and Setaria grass (Setaria splendida) mixture and its palatability in sheep. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the agronomic properties in mix planting of Aleman grass, Para grass, and Setaria grass and to evaluate the palatability of their mixture by sheep. The grass was planted in monocrop, two grass species mixture and three grass species mixture in a research area, Department of Animal Science Universiti Putra Malaysia. The grass was planted for two months in a randomized complete block design and was cut about 15 cm above ground level for each grass and the data was collected weekly. Botanical composition and grass tiller count showed there was no difference (P>0.05) among the grass planted as single grass to the planted two and three grass species. There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in grass height that decreased in two and three grass mixtures. The study on palatability was conducted using single-bowl and double-bowl methods. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in both tests that the single grass was more palatable than the mixture of two or three grasses. The mixture of three grass takes a long time for the sheep to finish grass compared to the mixture of two and single grass species. In conclusion, this result showed that different mixtures of planting and feeding to the animal affect agronomic properties and palatability in sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]