Ranking Species for Veld Restoration in Semi-Arid Regions Using Agronomic, Morphological and Chemical Parameters of Selected Grass Species at Different Developmental Stages under Controlled Environment

The establishment of complementary native grass species could be an ideal method of dealing with existing problems of veld degradation and inadequate forage quantity and quality of pastures. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of native grasses viz., Anthephora pubescens, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, Dactylis glomerata, Digitaria eriantha, Eragrostis curvula, Festuca arundinacea, Panicum maximum and Themeda triandra. Attributes at different growth stages on agronomy, morphology and chemical composition were checked. Panicum maximum had the broader (p < 0.05) leaves across all growth stages when compared to all other grass species. Festuca arundinacea had highest (p < 0.05) number of tillers than C. ciliaris, C. gayana, D. glomerata, D. eriantha, E. curvula, P. maximum and T. triandra at 2–4-months age. Within each species, all grasses had the highest (p < 0.05) number of leaves at maturity. Chloris gayana, D. glomerata and P. maximum had the highest (p < 0.05) biomass yield when compared to F. arundinacea at the elongation stage. Eragrostis curvula had the highest (p < 0.05) crude protein (CP) values when compared to all other grasses, except for D. glomerata, F. arundinacea and P. maximum at the elongation stage. Panicum maximum and T. triandra had the least (p < 0.05) acid detergent lignin (ADL) values when compared to all other grasses at both vegetative and the elongation stages. In the ranking, C. ciliaris, C. gayana, D. eriantha, E. curvula, P. maximum and A. pubescens outperformed the rest of the grasses on most parameters. With the low crude protein (CP) content of these grasses, protein supplementation is highly crucial for high performing ruminants, especially those animals that graze grasses as their sole diets.