On-farm Demonstration of Improved Napier Grass Varieties as Livestock Feed at Irrigation Schemes in the Central Zone of Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

The demonstration was conducted at Ahsea and Adwa districts in central zone of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, from 2019-2020 G.C. The Aim of the study was demonstrate the effectiveness of improved Napier grass varieties, specifically Bana grass and ILRI #16791, as livestock forage. The Napier grass varieties were distributed to a total of 180 farmers and 90 farmers in Ahsea and Adwa districts, respectively, and practical training was provided to the participating farmers. The demonstration was conducted for two consecutive years, and data on agronomic and yield parameters, such as plant height, fresh biomass yield, dry biomass yield, and leaf to stem ratio, were collected from representative sample farmers in each district. The data analysis result showed that there was significant differences (p<0.001) in plant height, fresh biomass yield, dry biomass yield and leaf to stem ratio among the demonstrated Napier grass varieties at Ahsea district. There were also significant differences (p<0.001) in plant height and dry biomass yield but not in fresh biomass yield and leaf to stem ratio at Adwa district. Overall, Bana grass performed significantly better than ILRI#16791 in terms of plant height (233.27cm), fresh biomass yield (42.17), dry biomass yield (15.08ton/ha) and leaf to stem ratio (1.60). The farmers’ perception data indicated that the participants highly preferred Bana grass due to its good survival rate, high biomass yield, palatability to animals, and fast regeneration rate. However, ILRI#16791 was perceived positively for its contribution to soil conservation and resistance to moisture stress. Therefore, based on the yield performance and farmer’s perception data, Bana grass is recommended for wider popularization, dissemination and cultivation in the demonstration area and similar agro-ecologies of the region.