ESTABLISHMENT OF PASTURES

Pasture seed are usually small and light and therefore require a fine, clean and firm seedbed. This condition of the seedbed ensures that the seed does not go down too deep.

Large-scale f arms use maize or wheat drills, while it is common with small-scale farms to broadcast some grass seeds. However in both methods, the use of phosphate fertilizer as a carrier as well as a supplier of nutrients for better establishment of grass leys is essential.

The seed rate varies with different species and the temperature and rainfall distribution over the growing period.5kgs to 25kgs per hectare is recommended. After the first cut and subsequent cuttings the pasture should be top dressed with nitrogenous fertilizer to improve the growth vigor and maintain the quality of the herbatage.
Some farmers often under sow maize or cereal crops with grass establishment fields and consequently result in low herbage yields during the subsequent grazing and cutting periods. It is therefore strongly recommended to establish a pure stand of grass.

Kenya Seed Company specializes in production in top quality grass seeds of which a big proportion is annually used locally while the surplus is exported while the surplus is exported to many countries of the world. The most important and commonly used species is Rhodes Grass (Chloris gayana).

SEED RATE

The seed rate per unit area is determined by many factors, some to these are:-

(a) Type of soil
(b) Temperatures
c) Available moisture (moisture regime)
(d) Day length etc

Considering the above factors, the seed rate rangers from 5 kgs to 25 kgs per hectare.

FERTILIZERS

Fertilizer application should depend on the nutrient status of the soil and so there is need to conduct regular soil analysis periodically. Generally various types of fertilizers for planting are recommended depending on the factors afore-mentioned. In practice, Single Super Phosphate (SSP), Double Super Phosphate (DSP) or Triple super phosphate (TSP) are recommended. These are straight fertilizers and have an advantage over compound fertilizers (i.e. DAP) in that, they do not scotch the seed or leach in the soil as most of the compound fertilizers do. If for example Diomonium Phosphate (AP) is used, the seed should not be mixed with the fertilizer directly instead, drill the two in separate rows. About 200 kgs per hectare is ideal for compound fertilizers and 150 kgs per hectare for straight fertilizers.

WEED CONTROL

You can chemically control weed in your pasture field, but you must use recommended herbicide in the market. The current herbicides in use are: 2-4D Amine, Buctile M. etc. for broad leaf weeds. These are post-emergence herbicides and are sprayed when the pasture is 7-9 weeks old. Consequently you can hand weed the pasture field once the grass is established and the weeds can be identified.

UTILIZATION OF PASTURE FIELDS

Grass can be grazed when it is at piping stage or at 10% heading (flowering) or the grass can be cut and fed to the animals. Under comprehensively managed irrigation systems Boma/Elmba Rhodes can realise 10-12 cuttings per year. The best stage of hay making is at initial 50% flowering when the leaf steam ratio and nutrients values are at optimum levels. It is possible to obtain 9000 kgs of hay per hectare under good management and on irrigated pasture fields it is possible to achieve 10,000 kgs per hectare between cuttings as long as top dressing with nitrogenous fertilizer is practised at cutting intervals.

Pasture Establishment;

1. Prepare a fine clean and firm seedbed.
2. Mix the seed with fertilizer, manure or sawdust to assist in broadcasting and to de alienate the area planted.
3. Broadcast very early or late in the afternoon when the velocity of wind is low to avoid planting in neighbours farm.
4. Can be planted with a modified wheat drill.

AGRONOMIC PRACTICES
SEED RATE

This is determined by; the type of soil, temperatures & available moisture. In the Kenya highlands seed rate is 3-5 kg per acre.

SEED QUALITY CONTROL

The quality of seeds used will influence the production and the subsequent success or failure of the crop. It is important that seed should be genetically true to type with no admixtures of harmful weeds and have stored, processed and packed in a manner suitable for maintenance of quality. Always purchase your seed requirement form the producers and appointed agents. The quality of seed sold must meet the international standards and this required is guaranteed by the producer. Kenya Seed Company is one of re-known pasture seed producers in the world and will endevour to maintain the quality of its pasture seeds marketed locally and internationally.

APPENDIX

ANALYSIS: BOMA AND ELMBA RHODES (CHLORIS GAYANA) CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND NUTRITIVE VALUE ANALYSIS OF RHODES GRASSES, OF WHICH BOMA RHODES AND ELMBA RHODES FALL:
THIS DATA WAS MAINLY COLLECTED FROM LOCATIONS AROUND EAST AFRICAN REGION.

RHODES GRASS HARVESTING

As weeds are a problem in the establishment year, consideration should be given to the risk of contamination in the harvested seed since penalties can be unduly heavy in commence.

Methods of hand harvesting can cope better with weedy stands than mechanised harvesting, mechanical seed cleaning is not often very effective to remove weed seeds either and may inevitably imply the loss of good seed. Some weed seeds attach themselves inside the spikelets of fluffy seeds.

Seed harvesting is usually carried out some 6-7 weeks after initial head emergency when "shedding" is already well on it's way.

In experienced seed growers watch shedding with alarm as they equate early shedding with loss of valuable seed. The early shedding in tropical grasses however is false alarm because it consists largely of empty spikelets. Infact shedding should be in progress for 2 weeks before the net loss of PGS are incurred. Shedding may increase to 30% before the net loss of true seed (filled spikelets) outweighs the compensatory maturation of later formed seed. In essence more valuable seed is LOST by harvest too early than too late.

The interval of 6-7 weeks between initial head emergency and the optimum harvest date is relatively independent of season or species or variety. Dry bright seasons amy seem to hasten optimum harvest date but weather effects are generally difficult to translate in grass seed crop. The harvest safety margin is about 2 weeks, which is a comfortable moratorium for hand harvesting procedures.

Hand harvesting simple and weather proof. Heads can be reaped whether wet or dry but threshing is more difficult when reaping and stooking are carried out during a wet period. The seed head are cut with saw edged sickles just above the leaf canopy and are bound into sheaves. These sheaves are then stood upright to form pyramid-shaped stooks with one sheave placed upside down over the top. This is done to hold the maturing seeds and to protect them from direct exposure to the birds. The stooks should to be larger than 5 or 6 sheaves to prevent excessive heating and should not be in contact with base soil because insects easily contaminate the stooks with oil. The stooks may remain wet throughout and may get mouldy inside but this is no course of concern. Threshing can be carried out after 2 weeks of stooking.

After harvesting, the seeds are then taken for processing and testing after which the seed can then be offered for sale.

RHODES GRASS SEED QUALITY

Before the seed is offered for sale there are certain quality standards, which must be met, based on international standards as stipulated by ISTA (International Seed Testing Association). One of the cardinal requirements is that the seed analyst must confirm that all the seeds have the germinating component known as CARYOPSIS. This is structure, which appears like complete, or wholesome seed but do not have the germinating part and is classified as EMPTY GLUMES. Tropical grasses are classified as CHAFFY SEEDS (fluffy, very light and delicate). They have poor seed setting ability and one single unfavourable factor like, storm, low moisture at flowering period or poor harvesting condition may have adverse effect on seed quality. In effect what determines successful pasture establishment is purity and germination of the lot. The tabulated qualities of ISTA method is as follows:

The above ISTA method is the one adopted in Kenya. However other method adaptable to some countries is called IRISH METHOD. In this method the rule states that all the components looking like seed (physical appearance) will be counted as seeds. The germination count will therefore depend on two factors:

1. How much caryopsis is available in the seed lot.
2. The viability of the actual seeds in the caryopsis.

For this method you will realized that the international recommended % quality will be as follows:

NB: Kenya has adopted the first method ISTA "method" because it gives higher minimum of 30% pure germinating seed as opposed to "IRISH" Method which gives a mere 18% Pgs. At this point in time it is important to note that both germination and purity MUST be taken into account, as they are inseparable for total quality assessment of good lot.

According to schedule II of Agricultural Standards (seeds) regulation you will notice the following international quality recommendations.

RHODES GRASS: (CHLORIS GAYANA)