REPORT OF PASTURE

ESTABLISHMENT

SLSAH/S/22/01
S.Y.R.T.RANATHUNGA
 INTRODUCTION

• Our registered medium scale cattle farm is located on a land spread

over 10 hectares in oyamaduwa area of Anuradhapura which belongs
to the dryzone.We currently have 100 cows in our farm.
• All of them are Australian Friesian Sahiwal animals of half European
and half Indian genetic origin.
• At present they are maintained under semi intensive conditiond.Since
our farm has a large amount of land we have planned to grow quality
grass for the animals.The aim of this is to increase the nutritional
value of the animals and get a high milk yield.
• Here we have prepared a report on the nutritional needs of animal and
the need of the land for the grass to be cultivated and the methods of
cultivation and its future plans.
CONTENT
• 01.About Our Farm Area
• 02.Calculations -Feed Requirement for the
year.
• 03. Recommended Pastures and Fodders
I. Brachiaria brizantha
II. Cenchrus ciliaris
III. CO-3
IV. Guinea B
01.About Our Farm Area…
• Place-Oyamaduwa
• District-Anuradhapura
• Climatic zone-Dry zone
• Average of Temperature- between 27°C (80°F) and 34°C (93°F).
• Breeds of cattles-AFS(Australian Friesian Sahiwal Only)
• Feeding habits-Cut and feed and Grazing
• Recommended pastures and fodders-CO-3 , Brachiaria
brizantha, Cenchrus ciliaris,Guinea B
03.Calculations -Feed Requirement for
the year.
• Area : Anuradhapura
• Climatic Zone : Dry Zone
• Breeds: AFS
• Average Body weight : 450 Kg
• Feeding practices: 50% Grazing and 50% Cut and carry system.
• Selected Forages: CO-3 , Brachiaria brizantha, Cenchrus
ciliaris,Guinea B
Feed requirement[1 cattle-dry basis]
[3/100 ×450kg=13.5kg]

• For 100 animals=13.5 ×100=1350kg of DM

• THIS IS FOR ONLY DAILY REQUIREMENT WE WANT TO
GET FOR THE YEAR.
SO 1350kg×365= 492,750kg/Year

• Grazing 50%
(492,750/2=246,375kg)
• Brachiaria brizantha=246,375/2=123,187.5kg DM
• Cenchrus ciliaris=246,375/2=123,187.5kg DM
• 50% Cut and carry system.
(492,750/2=246,375kg)

• CO-3=246,375/2=123,187.5kg DM
• Guinea B=246,375/2=123,187.5kg DM
Land Area Calculations
• Brachiaria brizantha
• Grass Yield[DRY BASIS]=10,000-11,000KG/ha/yr
• Area need to get=123,187.5kg/10,000=12.31875ha

• Cenchrus ciliaris
• Grass Yield[DRY BASIS]=20,000kg/ha/yr
• Area need to get=123,187.5kg/20,000=6.159375ha

• CO-3
• Grass Yield[DRY BASIS]=60,000-75,000kg/ha/yr
• Area need to get=123,187.5kg/60,000=2.053125ha
• Guinea B
• Grass Yield[DRY BASIS]=29,000kg/ha/yr
• Area need to get=123,187.5kg/29,000=4.24784482ha

• FORAGE LAND AREA

• Brachiaria brizantha=12.31875ha×10,000m²
• =123,187.5 m²
• Cenchrus ciliaris=6.159375ha×10,000m²
=61,593.75 m²
• CO-3=2.053125ha×10,000m²
=20,531.25 m²
• Guinea B=4.24784482ha×10,000m²
=42,478.4482 m²

• TOTAL LAND REQUIREMENT=24.779ha=(247,790 m²)

 01.Brachiaria brizantha
Land preparation and planting

• Prepare a good seedbed. The soil has to be mixed thoroughly

with well-cured manures. For seeds, plant at the beginning of
rains.

Planting materiels requirement

• You can either use seeds, root splits or stem cuttings as planting
materials.
 Spacing

• . Create 1 to 2cm deep furrows and 50cm spacing. Drill the seeds and
cover with light soil. You can also sow the seed in a nursery bed and
transplant the seedlings after six weeks. Ensure you mulch the nursery
bed with dry grass.

• Root splits are planted at the beginning of rains or irrigated for better
results, space each split 50 cm apart and 25 cm within rows.

Fertilization
add manure and fertiliser since cut and carry pasture depletes
soil nutrients. Adding 80kg Calcium Ammonium Nitrate (CAN)
fertilizer per acre, per season will help maintain the soil fertility.
You can also use 2 to 4 tonnes of cured manure per acre for the
same.
 Weeding management
• Broad-leaved weeds can be controlled by the use of herbicides. One can
also remove weeds manually.

Pest and diseases management

• It is commonly attacked by red spider mite and shoot borers.
02.Cenchrus ciliaris
land preparation and planting and spacing
Establishment is difficult on hard setting and heavy clay soils.
Establishes readily if competition is controlled. Sown 0‒1 cm
deep at 1‒2 kg seed/ha, the lower rate on sandy-loam soils.

 Planting materiels
SEEDS
 Fertilization

• Establishment fertilizer is rarely necessary since Cenchrus ciliaris should

only be sown on fertile soils. However, phosphorus may be necessary,
especially if sowing with a legume. Stands become unproductive with
time as nitrogen is tied up in the root system. It is generally not
economical to apply nitrogen fertilizer to overcome this situation,

Pest and diseases

• The most serious disease is buffel grass blight caused by the fungus
• Pyricularia grisea is a highly variable pathogen and differential responses
have been found to occur, with some varieties of C. ciliaris being resistant
to the various races of the pathogen. Seedlings can be controlled using
the grass-selective herbicide, fluazifop-p-butyl or dicamba, 2,4-D,
3,6dichloropicolinic acid, triclopyr, tebuthiuron, or hexazinone. Older
stands, particularly freshly cut material, can be at least reduced using
hexazinone or tebuthiuron.
03.CO-3
Land preparation and planting materials requirements

Selected stem cutting or roots slips .Can be maintain as perennial crop

up to 4-5 years.Ability to quickly regeneration can be harvest within 30-
40- days.to obtained maximum profitable and persistency cutting at the
suitable height and interval.

Stem cutting
Fresh cutting used
Medium matured or wellmatured length is 25-30 cm
Remaining 2-3 activity nodes.
Cutting surface is 45 degree.
 Spacing

• Distance -90 cm ×90 cm two cutting per one place

• Requirement -20,000-22,000cutting 1500-1600 kg/ha

• Root slips
• Fresh length is 30-45 cm
• Consists of 2-3 active nodes remove dry leave and extra roots.
• Requirements -one roots slips in one place 10000-11000 root slips
1500kg/ha
Fertilization
• Organic fertilizer must be added 15,000-20,000kg/ha
• Compost
• Cow dung
• Poultry litter
• Dry leaves
• Organic liquid fertilizer

Kg/ha Per plant

Organic manure 15,000-20,000 2kg
Urea 100 20g
Tsp 200 40g
Mop 150 30g
 Pest and dieseases

• Napier grass has been shown to be affected by many insects and other
pests, bacteria, viruses, fungi and phytoplasmas, although most of them
do not produce severe disease

Weeding management

• Weed competition with crop for sun light ,water,nutrient and

space .weeding practices are done by 2 weeks after planting .
• Manual weeding can be applied.chemical weed may be applied by using
recommended herbicides.
 04.Guinea B
Establishment and land preparation

Sowing/planting rates as single species

3 - 5 kg/ha, depending on seed quality. Seed should be sown on the surface of a
well-prepared seedbed (or no deeper than 2 cm), and rolled to achieve good soil
contact with the seed.

Sowing/planting rates in mixtures

1 - 3 kg/ha
Sowing time
Best sown when conditions are warm and humid, the soil moist, and there is a
good chance of follow-up rain.
Inoculation
Not applicable
 Maintenance fertliser

• Soil phosphorus levels should be maintained with annual dressings of 50

- 100 kg/ha superphosphate. Potassium may also be required on some
soils, particularly with more intensive use e.g. haymaking. Split
applications, each of 50 - 100 kg/ha N, are used in pure stands as
required when economically feasible.

Planting material requirement

• A well-prepared, weed-free seed-bed is required for good establishment.

For best results, the seed should be
• sown by a combine or a drum seeder, by dropping seed onto the soil
surface and rolling.
 PESTS AND DISEASES

• Leaf spot (Bipolaris hawaiiensis) is often found on leaves during

the wet season. There is no evidence that this
• disease affects production.
• Ergot (Claviceps sp) can infect seed heads in some years. This
disease destroys the seed and can greatly reduce
• the quality of harvested seed.
•

• THANK YOU….