|
You won't likely see any pachyderms foraging there. But if
you scan the pasture area north of the beef cattle barns at the
university farm, you might glimpse some steers grazing the first-ever
stand of elephant grass at California State University, Fresno.
The production trial is seen by researchers here as offering
the potential for agricultural advances on two fronts: 1) providing an
alternative high-quality feed for cattle and other animals; and 2)
helping to reduce salt accumulation in the soil in areas such as the
western San Joaquin Valley.
Elephant grass, also known as Napier grass and by its
botanical species name Pennisetum, is relied on in many parts of the
world as a natural forage plant for cattle. It typically grows as a
perennial in tropical areas of South America, Asia and Africa,
explained research consultant Morton Rothberg, who is overseeing
trial production of the crop locally for the Center for Irrigation
Technology.
Since elephant grass is not native to North America,
production here is scarce. Currently it is grown in some parts of
Florida, and now at Fresno State, Rothberg said.
Its appearance contrasts sharply from that of Bermuda pasture
grass or alfalfa. It grows in clumps, spreading from a single stalk, or
stool, to a base of stalks two or three feet wide. New stalks sprout from
underground "eyes" at the base of each plant. They grow to half an
inch or more in thickness at the base, fan out into flat two-inch-wide
leaves which reach heights of up to five feet.
Cattle consumed the grass readily when put out to pasture in
the test plot earlier this summer, proving the plant is at least palatable,
Rothberg said. That was a first key finding in a project which could
extend several years if results continue to be positive.
Why elephant grass rather than alfalfa? "It has an extremely
high protein content," Rothberg said. Analysis showed that dry weight
matter of elephant grass harvested from the Fresno State plot at three
weeks of age contained more than 25 percent protein. That compares
to an average of 20 percent for alfalfa, he said.
It also contained total digestible nutrients of 65 percent,
compared to 60 percent for alfalfa.
The trial shows elephant grass grows well in this area.
Harvested portions of the one-acre experimental plot have shown "it
has been equal to or greater than alfalfa in yield. And that's a conservative statement," Rothberg said.
Unlike alfalfa, the elephant grass was fertilized with nitrogen,
so there are cost inputs and other factors to be considered when
comparing the results from the initial trials, Rothberg said.
In addition to its potential as a cattle feed, elephant grass may
prove to be more salt tolerant than alfalfa. Initial greenhouse
screenings, as well as growth trials on the San Joaquin Valley's West
Side showed it could tolerate irrigation water with salt content of up to
eight decisiemens per meter.
"This plant was surviving when most other plants would die,"
Rothberg noted.
Lead faculty investigator for the elephant grass project is
Professor Randy Perry from the Department of Animal Science and
Agricultural Education. Perry has teamed with CIT in other projects to
explore alternative grasses that may tolerate the high-salt content of
West-Side soils and still serve as a nutritious cattle feed.
In a later part of this study, Perry will measure dry matter
digestibility and weight gain in cattle supplemented with elephant
grass.
The original cuttings brought into the United States for these
trials were from Brazil, where Rothberg lived and operated a
agricultural consulting business for 25 years. The cuttings had to be
cleared by U.S. Customs. The plant has no known vulnerabilities to
pests or pathogens, Rothberg said.
There are still unknowns regarding the production and use of
elephant grass. It must be planted using cuttings rather than seed. And
there is little information on its performance when baled. In most
cases, elephant grass is chopped and fed as part of a green silage mix,
Rothberg said.
The study is being supported by the California Agricultural
Technology Institute. For more information, Rothberg can be
contacted through CIT at (209) 278-2066.
{ page top } |
