Push–pull involves intercropping of cereals with Desmodium as a “push” crop and planting Napier grass/Brachiaria as the “pull” crop at the border. (A case of Desmodium and Calliandra in central Kenya) J. Sinja,ab*J. Karugia,b D. M Mwangi,c I. Baltenwecka; ... mainly Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), grown and cut and carried to the animals in a production system referred to as zero grazing. • When intercropping under the conventional method, make furrows along the Napier grass lines or in betwe en rows and drill desmodium seed at a seed rate of effect of phosphorous and rhizobia inoculation on growth and yield of desmodium and lucerne in kiambu county, kenya mutuerandu .c. The herbaceous legumes Desmodium intortum cGreenleaf (ILRI 104), Macrotyloma axillare cAxillare (ILRI 6756 and Neonotonia wightit cTSnaroo (ILRI 9794 were intercropped There is no need for inoculation. 1 kg of Desmodium seed is needed to plant one acre. Desmodium and Brachiaria grass are high quality animal fodder plants. Church members here are interested in trying the “Push-Pull” system but they are not familiar with desmodium. After germination the field … The leguminous greenleaf desmodium becomes repellent, emitting a blend of compounds that help push armyworms away from maize while Brachiaria Mulato II grass around field edge produces chemicals attractive to the pests. Desmodium can be grown as a pure stand or as a mixture with Napier grass in cut-and-carry plots. Napier grass was fed ad libitum while Desmodium was wilted and fed at 10kg/cow/day. An attractant trap plant, for instance Napier grass, is planted around the border of this intercrop, with the purpose of attracting and trapping the pests. Muia Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor op gezag van de rector magnificus van Wageningen Universiteit dr. CM. Rations were randomly assigned to four cows in a 4*4 Latin square design and means separated using Tukey’s range test at 95% confidence level. It is established by seeds but in Kenya they establish themselves freely. Types: Seeds 16. grass 30. Use of napier grass to improve smallholder milk production in Kenya John M.K. Nairobi (Kenya) developed the push-pull technology, an innovative integrated approach to ecologically control pests and weeds of cereal crops, without using chemicals. VIP TOP+ 5. It is better to use the proper cultivar name. Nairobi, Kenya and John A. Pickett Rothamsted Research Harpenden, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom The ‘push-pull’ strategy, a novel tool for integrated pest management programs, uses a combination of behavior-modifying stimuli to manipulate the distribution and abundance of insect pests and/or natural enemies. Ways of promoting integration of herbaceous forage legumes into a napier grass fodder system were evaluated with the aim of increasing forage quantity and quality on smallholder dairy farms in central Kenya. But this trend is set to be reversed after farmers in the area discovered a wonder plant called Vetipher Grass that they hope would reclaim the lost land and return it … Its scientific name is Pennisetum purpureum. Silver-leaf Desmodium Spanish Clover Desmodium uncinatum Observed in an agricultural area near Kitale, Kenya. The name brachiaria grass is very confusing. 3 Intercropping • Napier grass can be intercropped with forage legumes in both methods of planting. Tagged: desmodium, maize, napier grass, pest control, Push-pull, stemborer moth, striga, Sudan grass, yield. Napier grass is a fodder grass that produces a lot of high-protein forage. However, height may not be an important estimate on the expected biomass yield, as it has been clearly demonstrated that the shorter Eth. Napier grass is best suited to high rainfall areas, but it is drought-tolerant and can also grow well in … Bracharia Grass ... Sudan grass, desmodium, Lucerne and kikuyu grass. They do know of napier grass. Description: • Shape- Round • Head Size – 3-4Kg • Red Color, medium-sized • Plant Spacing (cm) 60x60 • Seed rate/acre(Kgs) 0.12 • Maturity – 65-70 Days . Desmodium is a legume that successfully grows together with Napier grass. In integrated crop–livestock systems, lack of quality feed and low dry matter intake are major constraints (Omore et … Mulato II seed is only produced in three areas in the world. In the Desmodium intercropping systems, Striga counts were reduced by 95% in Busia and by 65–90% in Siaya with higher reductions when Desmodium was cut at 18 weeks after planting. groups, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and Agricultural Training Center (ATC). Silverleaf desmodium can be sown in pure stands or in mixed pasture with grasses or other legumes ().It does well with other legumes such as greenleaf desmodium (Desmodium intortum) and siratro (Macroptilium atropurpureum), and with cold tolerant grasses such as the giant setaria (Setaria sphacelata var. To establish a mixed stand of Desmodium and Napier grass; First establish Desmodium in a clean seed bed. … Height – 3 to 13 feet (1 to 4 m) Exposure – full sun Foliage – deciduous in cold weather. silverleaf desmodium (push), and planting an attractive trap crop, Napier grass (pull), around the intercrop. Some of the more common deficiencies are copper, cobalt and selenium deficiencies, but also nitrogen, phosphorous and potassion deficiencies are common. The legume is sensitive to shading therefore grows well with short grasses especially Kikuyu grass. Results showed increase in forage quantity across the various cutting times and treatments used. Flowering – July to October In Kenya, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) ... Napier grass and Desmodium are nutritious fodder/forage crops. The recommended spacing for establishing Desmodium is the recommended spacing of Napier grass. Show all. Grass Feeds, Supplements & Seeds in Kenya. miriko (bsc. Additionally, chemicals produced from desmodium roots inhibit Striga. If your pastures do not look green and healthy during rainy seasons, it will pay to get a soil sample analyzed to see what is missing. Preparation: Desmodium seed is relatively expensive, very small and the seedlings can be swamped by weeds, so it is best sown in a weed-free, well prepared nursery seedbed with fine textured soil. In summary, the use of PPT provides robust and high economic benefits to smallholder farmers in western Kenya. Some of this seed is exported to Kenya every year. Desmodium also offers a good cover to the soil that leads to improved soil moisture content and organic matter, and reduced weeds. We deliver countrywide. The technology involves intercropping cereals with a repellent plant such as the African native desmodium and planting an attractive trap plant, for instance Napier grass, as a border crop around this intercrop. Photographic images and information about a Fabaceae, Desmodium, from Kitale in the East Africa nation of Kenya. Approximately 80% of the dairy animals in Kenya are kept in this system (ILCA, 1979). Both Desmodium and Napier grass are perennial crops that provide year-round soil cover, which helps retain soil moisture, improves soil structure, prevents erosion, and makes the agro-ecosystem more resilient to drought. The technology has been reported to effectively control stemborers, striga weed, and fall armyworm (FAW), and to improve soil nutrition, resulting in increased grain yield. Piata brachiaria brizantha, Mulato II hybrid brachiaria and so on. Indeed napier grass is the livestock ugali. To establish a mixed stand of Desmodium and Napier grass; First establish Desmodium in a clean seed bed. Thailand, Mexico and Brazil. Intercropping with Desmodium. It is also known as “elephant grass”, “Sudan grass” or “king grass”. Its amazing growth power makes it suitable for many purposes, from tall grass hedge to fuel and fodder. It can also be grown under a maize crop or even as a cover crop under bananas or coffee. This name seems to be used as the same name for several cultivars of brachiaria cultivars. At planting DAP can be used at a rate of 1 bag per acre. December 2012. As a result, the food crop is left protected from the pests. Napier Grass (Pennisetum purpureum) commonly referred to as elephant grass is popular fodder crop for small scale dairy farmers in the high and medium potential dairy production areas of Kenya under the cut & carry system of production. The agronomic characteristics result indicated that all ecotypes tested recorded higher PH than other Brachiaria grass cultivars (Llanero, MG4, Marandu, Piata, Mulato II, Basilisk and Xaraes) in Kenya dry lands as reported by Nguku et al. • The legumes to be intercropped with Napier grass include desmodium, stylosanthes and Macrotyloma axillace. Many areas in Kenya show symptoms of deficiencies in the grass fields. In addition, desmodium stimulates the germination of striga and then inhibits its growth. Leave a comment The previous post is an article about Push-Pull Pest Control, where to protect a maize crop, a farmer plants other crops, particularly to prevent damage from stem borers, the other crops being silverleaf desmodium (the push) and napier and Sudan grass (the pull). Bana grass is a particular variety of Pennisetum. Name – Pennisetum purpureum x americanum Family – Poaceae Type – grass. The forages vegetatively propagated include Napier grass, sweet potato vines, while seed-producing ones include vetch, lupin, Desmodium, fodder … Basic Bana grass facts. This method indicates that napier grass should be fed to dairy cows at 55-60 cm (7-8 wk) and 130-140 cm (9-10 wk) in the medium and high rainfall areas in Kenya, respectively. FLOWERS: Small, delicate pink flowers are typical pea-flowers. We evaluated farmers’ perceptions of the pests, PPT attributes and factors influencing the likelihood of its adoption in 15 districts in western Kenya. Army worms are a problem in this area and I have read that the “Push-Pull” method using desmodium and napier grass has been successful in Tanzania as well as Kenya and Uganda. The recommended spacing for establishing Desmodium is the recommended spacing of Napier grass. At planting Desmodium is mixed with an inoculant. 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