Botanical Composition, Yield and Nutritive Value of Herbage under Mature oil Palm Plantation

Abstract

           Botanical composition, yield and nutritive value of herbage in the mature oil palm plantation at the ages of s, 13, 16 and 21 years were determined. From the study, five botanical goups of herbage were found in oil palm plantation, namely, grasses, broad leaf plants, legumes, fems and oil palm seedling. Grasses were found in abundance throughout all plantation ages followed by broad leaf plants legumes, fems and oil palm seedling. From the study, Asystasia insttusa, Mikania cordata Axonopus comprcss, Ottochloa nodosaand Paspalum coniugatum were the main herbages found undel the mature oil palm canopy. The dry matter yield of herbage under oil palm plantation at the age of e, 13, 16 and 21 years were 110.9, ?5.4 62.2 and 50.8 kglDM/ha,/month fespectively. The decline in herbage dry matter was related correspondingly to the increase in plantation age and the decrease in the light intensity' The nutritive value of herbage such as DM, CF and ADF contents significantly incrcased with the age of plantation while CP and DMD decreased significantly. The metabolisability (q-value) of herbage under matue oil palm canopy was low (o.so) and probably caused poor enelgy utilisation in grazing ruminants.