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Maendeleo Vijijini
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By RONALD KIMITEI
Many dairy farmers are grappling with feeding their animals,
particularly protein feeds that are usually the most expensive feed
type.
A farmer might easily be tempted to reduce
protein feeds in a dairy animal’s ration to keep production costs low.
In so doing, they end up affecting production.
Unlike
energy, protein is usually not stored in a dairy cow’s body hence cannot
be retrieved from body reserves during periods of scarcity.
This
makes protein the most limiting nutrient in a dairy ration. In essence,
protein must be availed every day at about 16 per cent of the total
dairy ration.
It is, however, not all gloom and doom as
far as protein feeding is concerned. Dairy farmers can minimise the
costs of protein feeding by using farm grown sources in the basal diet.
One
excellent source that has been successfully utilised world over is
lucerne. Lucerne, also known as alfalfa (Medicago sativa), should be the
protein roughage of choice.
So why grow lucerne?
There are numerous
benefits of growing lucerne and if done well, it significantly reduces
the need to supplement dairy rations with the costly commercial
concentrates. Incorporating lucerne in a dairy ration will have huge
benefits that include;
High quality feed:
According to its stage of growth, the protein content in lucerne ranges
from 15-22 per cent. Grasses usually contain way less than 12 per cent
crude protein yet dairy animals require between 16-20 per cent.
It
is also rich in vitamins and minerals, and if cut at the early
flowering stage, it supplies a good blend of energy and fibre. The roots
are known to penetrate to a depth of 3m, thus enabling the plant to
draw moisture and minerals from a considerable depth.
Cheap protein:
An average-sized bale of lucerne currently costs about Sh450, which
translates to around Sh23 a kilo. On the other hand, a kilo of good
quality dairy meal may cost up to Sh48.
Assuming that a
cow is provided with good quality grass and lucerne, the amount of
supplementary dairy meal will definitely be reduced in a dairy cow’s
ration.
Flexibility of use: Apart
from being utilised in wilted form upon harvesting, lucerne can easily
be conserved in either hay or silage form and, therefore, be well-stored
during seasons of plenty.
Lucerne should never be fed fresh as it will cause bloat to your dairy animals.
Soil fertility improvement: Lucerne is a legume that is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen into the soil, thus, improving soil fertility in the long run.
The
breakdown of the plant’s deep roots also contributes to the fertility
of the soil by increasing the humus content while at the same time
assisting in soil drainage.
Bumper harvest all-yearlong:
On average, lucerne can be harvested twice or thrice in a rainy season.
When established in areas with regular rainfall or under constant
irrigation, the crop will give a very high dry matter yield with over
six harvests annually.
Each harvest can yield between
1.5 to 3 tonnes depending on region, prevailing weather, stage of growth
at harvest and crop maintenance standards.
Long lasting:Being
a perennial species, this crop should last for many years once
established. It does not need re-establishment every other year.
Impressive adaptation to tropical conditions:
Lucerne is a tolerant deep-rooting crop, which can survive even at
times of low rainfall albeit with diminished herbage mass production.
Therefore, irrigation is required during periods of suppressed rainfall if this crop is to produce all-year round.
GROWING LUCERNE
Lucerne is best established as a pure stand in seed form though splits can still be used for propagation. When using seed, drill shallow furrows 15 to 30cm apart under irrigation systems or 60 to 90cm under rain-fed systems.
Lucerne is best established as a pure stand in seed form though splits can still be used for propagation. When using seed, drill shallow furrows 15 to 30cm apart under irrigation systems or 60 to 90cm under rain-fed systems.
Sow a mixture of 4kg of seed and 75 to 100kg
of NPK fertiliser per acre into the furrows before lightly covering the
mixture by pulling a tree branch over the furrows.
In
some areas, it may be important to first carry out inoculation by
dressing lucerne seed with about 100g of inoculants for every 15kg of
seed.
The soil pH must range between 6.2 to 7.8 for
root nodulation to take place. The crop is known to be quite intolerant
to low pH (acidic soils).
Liming of soils will be
necessary in such areas using six tonnes per hectare. The field must as
well be free from water-logging as this will kill the lucerne.
The
crop is very sensitive to poor drainage and compacted soil conditions
that restrict root growth. It is advisable to sow lucerne seed just
before the onset of rains.
Lucerne has a huge potential
of turning around the fortunes of dairy farmers, many who depend solely
on grass pasture based feeding systems oblivious of the associated
nutrient deficiencies.
****
The writer works in the Department of Animal Sciences, Egerton University.
SOURCE: NMG
The writer works in the Department of Animal Sciences, Egerton University.
SOURCE: NMG
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