Para grass
Common names: Para grass, Buffalo grass, Water grass, Angola grass, California grass, Cori grass, Dutch grass, Giant couch, Panicum grass, Penahlonga grass, Scotch grass.
Scientific Name: Brachiaria mutica
Feed categories: Green roughages-cultivated fodder
Physical Characteristics:
Para grass can grow up to about 1 m tall. The stems are hollow and robust, creeping in a horizontal growth habit. The stems stand erect towards the ends and sprout new roots wherever the nodes touch the ground. The leaf is linear to lanceolate and elongated to an acute point. Leaves are generally 6 - 20 cm long and 1 - 2 cm wide. Leaves and leaf sheaths are generally hairy.
Production / Availability:
Para grass is a warm climate perennial, palatable and high-quality forage grass. Once planted, it produces grass for 7-8 years. It is good for water loving damp soil so that it is also called water grass. It is ideally suited for heavy rainfall areas. However, it is possible to produce para grass even in dry land. In this case, the yield will be slightly reduced. Cultivation can be done at any time of the year, but the best time is from Falgun to Ashad months. The grass also grows in limited saline areas or on hill slopes. It grows well in waterlogging conditions on ponds, rivers and canal banks and can withstand prolonged flooding. It is propagated by roots and stem cuttings, as seeds are not viable. For vegetative propagation, plant cuttings of a length of 25-30 cm with 3-4 nodes should be hand-planted. A fast-growing grass, it can be grazed or used in cut-and-carry systems, either to be directly fed or to make hay or silage. This grass is highly nutritious. It contains a moderate amount of crude protein and crude fiber in fresh grass. The grass is used as green fodder, silage and even dry hay.
For the cultivation of para grass, the land has to be cultivated in the conventional way. 28-30 thousand cuttings per hectare are required. Line to line and cutting to cutting distances of 70 cm and 35 cm respectively. Urea 50 kg, TSP 70 kg and MP 30 kg per hectare during land preparation. 50 kg of urea per hectare after 1 month of planting grass. 50 kg urea per hectare after each cutting. Irrigation should be done every 15-20 days during the dry season. Grass is mowed after 30-35 days in the summer, 35-45 days in the winter depending on the season. The grass can be cut 6-7 times in the first year and 7-9 times in the following years. The yield of Para grass is 80-120 tons per hectare per year.
Nutrient Composition
Main analysis |
Unit |
Avg |
SD |
Min |
Max |
Nb |
Dry Matter |
% as fed |
20.97 |
3.08 |
17.58 |
26.63 |
19 |
Crude protein |
% DM |
10.07 |
2.44 |
7.40 |
12.87 |
24 |
Crude fibre |
% DM |
33.46 |
4.02 |
27 |
40.9 |
11 |
NDF |
% DM |
73.01 |
3.50 |
68.93 |
76.81 |
5 |
ADF |
% DM |
42.69 |
2.78 |
39.5 |
47.78 |
6 |
Lignin |
% DM |
5.65 |
0.35 |
5.4 |
5.9 |
2 |
Ether extract |
% DM |
2.25 |
0.75 |
1.2 |
3.6 |
9 |
Ash |
% DM |
11.29 |
3.22 |
8.11 |
19.20 |
24 |
Gross Energy |
MJ/kg DM |
17.97 |
0.47 |
17.57 |
18.49 |
3 |
ME (Metabolizable energy) |
MJ/kg DM |
7.71 |
0.36 |
7.23 |
8.1 |
3 |
Calcium |
g/kg DM |
3.75 |
2.28 |
0.6 |
7.2 |
6 |
Phosphorus |
g/kg DM |
2.53 |
1.55 |
0.50 |
5.40 |
6 |
NDF= Neutral Detergent Fiber; ADF= Acid Detergent Fiber.