Effect of the Plant Spacing and Stem Characteristics on Growth of Dwarf Napier (Pennisetum purpureum cv. Mott)

Abstract

Animal husbandry has become increasingly popular, leading to a shortage of forage. The dwarf Napier grass can be a good forage grass. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to study the effect of plant spacing and stem characteristics on the growth of dwarf Napier grass at the Agricultural Training Center, Loei Rajabhat University. The experiment was a 3x2 factorial in the randomized complete block design, involving 2 factors. The first factor consisted of three plants spacing viz. 50x30, 50x40 and 50x50 centimeters and the second factor was made up of two stem characteristics viz. 2 and 3 buds per stem. The data were recorded every 10 days until dwarf Napier grass was 40 days after planting. The results showed that dwarf Napier grass was statistically different in all characteristics at 40 days of planting. The dwarf Napier grass planted at a spacing of 50x30 cm showed the highest statistical significance in terms of leaf length, plant height, stem diameter, yield per plant, and total yield. Using cutting with two-bud stems resulted in larger leaves, more shoots, greater plant height, stem diameter, yield per plant, and total yield. Therefore, the combination of a planting spacing of 50x30 cm and using cuttings with two buds per stem showed the most favorable growth conditions for Napier grass. This information is valuable for promoting efficient cultivation practices for famers engaged in livestock farming, particularly those focusing on Napier grass as animal feed.