Herbage Quality and Animal Performance in a Coconut Cattle Inte grated System

Abstract

The effect of controlled grazing on the natural herbage growing in coconut plantation on the performance of cross-bred heifers as well as on herbage yield, botanical composition and the quality were examined in an experiment for one year duration in a coconut estate at Kotawila, Kamburugamuwa. There were four treatments namely coconut without fertilizer (T1); coconut with fertilizer (CRI recommended levels) (T2); heifers grazed natural herbage (T3); and heifers grazed natural herbage with tree fodder (2 kg/d) and concentrate supplement (250 g/d) (T4). The experiment design was a RCBD with 3 replicates and the stocking rate was 2 heifers/ 0.4 ha. The daily weight gain (19.60 g/head/d) and body condition (-0.07) were poor when no feed supplements were given. Provision of tree fodder and concentrate (Gava thriposha) greatly improved the daily weight gain (28.23 g/ head/d) and body condition (0.09) of heifers. It was also observed that the season had an influence on growth and body condition.

Herbage yield was higher in T2 as compared to T1 due to non grazing and fertilizer application. When compared the two treatments with animals, herbage yield of T4 were higher due to low grazing pressure imposed by supplementation. The N percentage of herbage also showed a similar trend. Over grazing without supplements (T3) would have depleted the soil and herbage N, and thereby conservation of N through recirculation within the animal. The dry period would have aggravated this condition by reducing the dung decomposition rate and increasing the urine evaporation rate. Grazing also improved the botanical composition of herbage. T3 and T4 treatments contained 55.35, 18.84 and 25.82% of grasses, legumes and other species, respectively. Herbage of T1 and T2 contained 18.5, 22.54 and 58.96% of grasses, legumes and other species, respectively. Axonopus affinus, A. compressus and Puraria phaseoloides like prostate species were dominant in T3 and T4 while Ocimum tenuiflorum and Urena lobota and Eupatorium odoratum like upland erect weed species were dominant in T1 and T2.

The results show that the integrated management system based on coconut and cattle, could achieve sustain able improvements on stock performance, even within a short period of time. Actual benefits should be investi gated in the long term.