Abstract 415

Asiedu,-FHK; Karikari,-SK

Univ. Ghana Agricultural Research Station, PO Box 43, Kade, Ghana.

Journal-of-AgriculturalScience,-UK. 1985, 104: 1, 47-59; 34 ref.

Pure and mixed swards of centro (Centrosema pubescens), puero (Pueraria phaseoloides) and para grass (Brachiaria mutica) established under a 12-year-old mango plantation were sampled at intervals of 6 weeks for 2 years. The pure legumes were better than the mixed swards in respect of crude protein (CP) with means 22.1, 18.8, 14.4 and 13.8% for centro, puero, centro-para grass and puero-para grass, respectively, and digestible crude protein (DCP) 16.2, 13.4, 10.4 and 10.0%, daily DM intake 50.8, 49.7, 41.8 and 41.3 g/kg0.75, digestible energy intake 562, 531, 418 and 410 kJ/kg0.75 and DCP intake 8.09, 6.55, 4.04 and 3.94 g/kg0.75. The legume-grass mixed swards, especially puero-para grass, were better than pure legume swards with regard to DM yields 11.90, 7.69, 7.13 and 4.54 t/ha for puero-para grass, centro-para grass, puero and centro, respectively, and CP yield 1.62, 1.09, 1.32 and 0.99 t/ha. The pure legume stands gave the highest weight gains per lamb with 45.7, 38.9, 26.3 and 25.3 g/day for centro, puero, centro-para and puero-para grass, respectively, but it was estimated that the mixed swards would give higher returns on forages harvested per unit sward area than the corresponding pure legume cover. It was concluded that legume-grass covers would be preferred to all-legume covers if livestock were to be integrated into tree crop farming systems. However, the choice of companion grass would have to be given proper consideration as shade-intolerant grass species, such as para grass, would reduce profits.