Strengthening Livelihood of Rural Farmer Populations through Improved Grasslands

This paper reviews the current background of the grassland resource with a purpose of livestock perspective to improve the livelihood of rural farmers. The use of grasslands for livestock rearing by rural farmers has been a long tradition. In climate and vegetation contrast, these grasslands are much more diverse. They are likely to play an economical role in increasing the milk production in many Asian countries. With an increase of human population, the traditional feeding, breeding and surviving habitats for livestock have been acutely restricted in many countries. Therefore, a continued effort is needed to maintain production for sustainable management of grassland resource for rural farmers. Pastoralism in wildlife protected area must be gradually proscribed and encouraged to form community grasslands. In addition, issues such as development of water resources, extension and education must be considered as higher attentions than basic grassland principles

Coimbatore 3 (CO3 - \u3cem\u3ePennisetum perpureum\u3c/em\u3e X \u3cem\u3ePennisetum americarnum\u3c/em\u3e) Grass as an Intercrop under Coconut (\u3cem\u3eCocos nucifera\u3c/em\u3e)

The effect of cultivation of Coimbatore 3 (CO3; Pennisetum perpureum x Pennisetum americarnum) grass under coconut has not been researched in Sri Lanka. We examined the effect of different levels of nitrogen fertilizer and the spread of CO3 roots in the soil. CO3 root slips were cultivated under coconut in two rows with 1x2 m within and between row spacing in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates. Treatments were four Nitrogen (N) levels- 0, 14, 21 and 35 kg N/ha/year. There were sixteen effective palms per treatment. CO3 bushes were harvested at 15 cm height from ground level at 6 monthly intervals. Application of 21 and 35 kg of N/ha/year gave the highest (P \u3e 0.05) dry matter yield (DM) of 216 and 225 kg per ha per year respectively compared to other treatments. An average nut yield of 55, 53 and 56 nuts per tree per year were observed in plots receiving 14, 21 and 35 kg N/ha/year respectively. CO3 roots were spread in an area of 0.94 m (width) and 0.65 m (depth). Application of 21 kg of N/ha/year was determined as the best rate of nitrogen to be applied after each pruning of CO3 cultivated under coconut. It is advisable to cultivate only 3 rows of CO3 within a coconut square to avoid CO3 roots invading into the manure circle of the coconut palm

Forage Composition and Quality of Tankbed Grassland Ecosystems in Sri Lanka; A Preliminary Study of “Tabbowa” Tank

Although, Sri Lanka does not have large natural lakes, the early settlers devoted their energy to build water bodies (tanks or reservoirs) in association with forest catchments to provide water for irrigation. The tank bed is a grassland area of the tank, which lies between the catchment forest and the present water level. In general, the tankbed has three major zones - lower, middle and upper - and in some seasons the middle and upper parts may be underwater. This tankbed area is dominated by grassland vegetation and is a valuable feeding ground for free-grazing livestock. The main objective of this study was to identify the common forage species and to investigate the nutrient composition of species most relevant to ruminant livestock in one of the larger tankbed grasslands in the country

Dry Matter Production and Nutritive Quality of Wild Guinea Grass (Panicum maximum) Grown Along Roadsides in Sri Lanka

Wild Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 1820s for forage purposes and has now naturalised in most ecological zones, ecosystems and habitats including roadsides with the exception of hilly and semi-arid parts of the country. The enormous distribution of the grass throughout the country has contributed much to supplying livestock feeds, soil erosion control, and improvement of soil fertility. The objective of this study was to investigate the growth, dry matter (DM) production and nutritive quality of wild Guinea grass along roadsides in different ecological zones

Effect of Different Additives on Fermentation Characteristics of Fodder Sorghum [\u3cem\u3eSorghum bicolor \u3c/em\u3e(L) Moench] Compared to CO-3 (\u3cem\u3ePennisetum perpureum \u3c/em\u3e x \u3cem\u3e Pennisetum americarnum\u3c/em\u3e)

Milk production plays a vital role to overcome the nutritional poverty in all aged groups of people. But there are many kinds of constraints to sustainable milk production in Sri Lanka. The biggest problem is high cost of feeding of dairy animals due to high price of compounded feeds, lack of knowledge on methods of low-cost feed supplementation and seasonal fluctuations in ruminant feed resources. Less availability of good quality green forages has led to low productivity from national dairy herd of Sri Lanka during the dry season (Premaratne and Premalal, 2006). Silage production is one of the most popular as well as cheap and effective method of forage conservation to increase the feed availability for dairy cattle during the dry season. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench) and CO-3 (Pennisetum perpureum x Pennisetum americarnum) are some of the crop varieties which can be effectively used for silage making. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to find out the effect of different additives on fermentation characteristics of fodder sorghum and CO-3

Feeding Patterns and Milk Production of Small-Scale Dairy Farmers under Semi-Intensive and Extensive Cattle Management Systems in Sri Lanka

The main objective of the present study was to determine the feeding pattern and milk production of small-scale dairy farmers under semi-intensive and extensive management systems in the intermediate zone of Sri Lanka. This region is sandwiched between the Wet and Dry Zones, receives a mean annual rainfall of 1750-2500 mm, and covers an area of about 1.2 million ha. A survey was conducted with 60 farmers and data on their herd size, herd composition and breeds, management system, breeding method, milk production, feeding costs and returns of raising animals were collected. The results indicated that the majority of farmers conducted dairying as a part-time business in both semi-intensive (80%) and extensive (66%) management systems in the study area. The highest (P \u3c 0.05) average herd size was observed under semi-intensive systems (3.7 animal units (AU)), compared to extensive systems (2.7 AU). The farmers under the semi-intensive system maintained better feeding levels compared with the extensive system. The majority of farmers in the area depended on tethering and stall feeding as their main source of animal feed. Grasses grown on roadsides, paddy fields, neighbours’ land, government estates and tree leaves were the main feed resources available for both management systems. Rice (Oriza sativa) bran and coconut (Cocos nucifera) poonac were the main concentrate feed ingredients in the study area. Jersey crosses were the most popular dairy animals among semi-intensively managed farms, whereas Sahiwal crosses were most popular in extensive management systems. The average milk production under extensive systems was significantly lower (P \u3c 0.01) at 3.9 l/AU/day, compared to 5.4 l/AU/day under semi-intensive systems. Semi-intensive management systems also had the highest average monthly return per AU

Yield, Feeding Value and Ensiling Characteristics of Clone-13 (\u3ci\u3ePennisetum purpureum\u3c/i\u3e)

A study was carried out to find out the effect of frequency of defoliation on yield and feeding value of clone-13 (Pennisetum purpureum) in Sri Lanka. Three frequency of harvesting, namely 45, 60 and 75 days were used and, fresh yield per plot was measured. Sub samples were taken for dry matter determination and proximate analysis. According to results, frequency of harvesting of 60 days can be recommended for clone-13 under no fertilizer regime. In addition, effect of growth stage on ensiling characteristics of clone-13 was also studied. Clone-13 was harvested at 45, 60, 75 or 90 days and, ensiled alone or with 5% coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) scrapings or 5% rice (Oriza sativa) bran in laboratory silos. Therefore, altogether 12 treatments were used in the study with 5 replicates. Silos were opened after 6 weeks and, physical and ensiling characteristics were studied. Physical characteristics of silage were satisfactory and had a yellowish brown colour, pleasant aroma and a moist texture. Highest volatile fatty acids and crude protein contents were observed with 45 days old grass silage whereas lowest in 90 days old grass silage. Addition of rice bran and coconut scrapings improved the fermentation characteristics of silage compared to no additives

Silage Characteristics of Sugarcane (\u3cem\u3eSacchrum officinarum\u3c/em\u3e) Tops in Sri Lanka

Sugarcane tops (SCTs) is generally known to be a major byproduct of sugarcane industry which is currently not utilized in a profitable manner and it is widely available at low cost particularly during the dry period in Sri Lanka when the forage are scarce for feeding of ruminants. Usually, the residue after sugarcane harvesting contains dry leaves, fresh leaves and growing point of the stalk. It increases drying of leaves in the field within 2 to 3 days after harvesting due to dry weather conditions prevailing in the harvesting period and much of the tops are burned and wasted in the field. Therefore, it is difficult to use tops as feed unless they are preserved. Silage making is a good preservation technique which can be used under this condition. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the ensiling characteristics and nutritive value of SCTs or Guinea (Panicum maximum) ‘A’ grass with different additives