Abstract

A high yielding and nutritious Guinea grass elite culture TNGG 062 was developed at the Department of Forage Crops, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and released as CO (GG) 3 during 2009. It is a clonal selection from Mumbasa which is an exotic collection from Africa. It is ideotypically obsessed with ideal features. It has good seedling vigour with profuse tillering habit. It has larger, broader and long leaves with high leaf stem ratio than the existing variety CO 2. As the palatability is very high and also free from anti nutritional factors, the milch animals, sheep, goats, pigs and Emu birds relish the fodder without rejection. As it is tolerant to shade, it can be grown in the inter-space of coconut gardens and other trees. It registered a mean green fodder yield of 423 tonnes per hectare per year in research station trials and On Farm Trials which was 75 per cent increased green fodder yield over the check variety CO 2. The dry matter yield, crude protein and crude fibre contents are 79 t/ha/year, 6.35 per cent and 30 per cent respectively. It is suitable for preparation of hay and silage

Keywords: Guinea grass CO (GG) 3, green fodder, dry matter