MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BUFFELGRASS WITH POTENTIAL FOR FORAGE AND SEED PRODUCTION

Abstract

Buffel grass (Pennisetum ciliare L.) is an important forage species. It is necessary to continue exploring the natural variability of this grass and select materials with potential for livestock. Currently, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Ethiopia preserves ex situ 157 buffel materials; it is important to characterize them to identify materials with productive potential. The objective of this study was to determine the phenotypic diversity of 147 ecotypes and 10 cultivars of buffelgrass to identify materials with potential forage and seed production. The study was conducted in 2014 at the Zwai Experiment Station in Ethiopia. Materials were established in the field with 36 plants per plot. Variables indirectly measured to identify ecotypes with potential for seed yield were: panicles per plant (PP), spikelets per panicle (SP), caryopses per panicle (CP) and days to 50 % flowering (DF), while for forage production variables were plant height (PH, cm) and forage height (FH, cm). Cluster and discriminant analyses were performed. The buffelgrass collection showed large variability in all measured characteristics. The plant and forage height ranges were: from 34 to 139 and from 24 to 118 cm, respectively. Variation of PP ranged from 6 to 322, SP from 13 to 285 and CP from 3 to 113. The standardization cut at 50 % flowering ranged from 48 to 71 days. A high correlation coefficient (r = 0.98) was observed between plant height and forage height and there was a negative correlation (r = -0.62) between panicles per plant and days to 50 % flowering. Four groups (P < 0.0001) were identified for the 157 materials. With the exception of FH, the rest of variables significantly contributed to the separation of groups. The buffelgrass collection presented high variability in the measured characteristics; also, ecotypes 1442, 19448, 19457, 19459, 19462 and 19464 showed forage potential.