Effects of harvesting age and spacing on plant characteristics, chemical composition and yield of desho grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum Trin.) in the highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate effects of harvesting age and plant spacing on plant characteristics, composition and forage yield of desho grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum Trin.). A factorial experiment with 3 harvesting ages (75, 105 and 135 days after planting) and 3 plant spacings (10 × 50, 30 × 50 and 50 × 50 cm) with 3 replications was used. The data collected were morphological characteristics such as leaf length, plant height, number of tillers per plant and number of leaves per plant. Chemical analysis was conducted for crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL), and dry matter yield (DMY) was quantified. Results indicated that the only morphological characteristic significantly (P Keywords: Biomass, harvesting day, morphological characteristics, nutritive value, plant spacing.