Super Napier grass, also known as Pennisetum purpureum, is a type of fast-growing perennial grass native to tropical Africa. Often referred to as ‘elephant grass’ due to its high production and popularity for feeding to livestock, especially cattle, Super Napier grass provides many benefits that make it an excellent choice for farming. In the following article, we will explore what makes Super Napier grass so advantageous to cultivate.
High Biomass and Nutrient Production
One of the main benefits of Super Napier grass is its incredibly high biomass and nutrient production. Compared to conventional Napier grass, Super Napier can achieve double the biomass yield per hectare. This high productivity is enabled by the grass’s rapid growth rate, strong root system, and tolerance to drought.
Under ideal growing conditions and with proper fertilization and irrigation, Super Napier grass can achieve yields of 150 tons of fresh biomass per hectare per year. That is a remarkably high level of production that makes Super Napier grass highly efficient for generating large volumes of nutritious animal feed.
The grass is also high in protein, energy, and minerals that are vital for livestock health and growth. A typical nutritional analysis of Super Napier grass shows it contains:
| Crude Protein | 14-16% |
| Crude Fiber | 30-35% |
| Calcium | 0.5% |
| Phosphorus | 0.25% |
With this excellent nutritional profile, Super Napier grass enables farmers to cost-effectively produce nutritious feed for cattle and other livestock. The grass can be fed fresh, as hay, or as silage to provide quality energy, protein, minerals, and fiber.
Rapid Regrowth and High-Frequency Harvesting
Another major advantage of Super Napier grass is its rapid regrowth ability that allows for frequent harvesting. The grass can be cut every 6-8 weeks and still regrow quickly for the next harvest. This high cutting frequency enables several harvests per year.
Frequent harvesting prevents the grass from getting mature and lignified, which maintains higher feed quality. Immature Super Napier grass has optimal protein levels around 16% and high digestibility around 65%. Frequent cutting also maintains the grass in a vegetative state for continued rapid nutrient absorption and growth.
The quick regrowth rate of Super Napier grass is fueled by its robust root system which rapidly uptakes water and nutrients. The strong root system also makes the grass highly resilient to droughts. Super Napier can withstand dry periods and quickly recover after rains better than conventional Napier varieties.
Overall, the rapid regrowth and resistance to drought of Super Napier grass support reliable and frequent harvests for higher yields and better nutrition. Quick regrowth also reduces the dedication of land area needed to produce sufficient volumes of nutritious livestock feed.
High Palatability and Consumption Rates
Super Napier grass is highly palatable and readily consumed by cattle and other livestock. Animals find the taste and texture agreeable leading to high voluntary intake. The grass is soft-stemmed, leafy, and tender which cattle can easily graze and digest.
Research shows cattle consume about 2-3% of their body weight daily in fresh Super Napier grass. The high palatability and consumption rates enable farmers to efficiently convert the grass’s high biomass yields into quality animal products like milk and meat.
With lower feed wastage, higher nutrition absorption, and greater productivity from voluntary consumption, the palatability of Super Napier grass is a major advantage. Farmers do not need to expend extra effort to encourage animals to eat the grass.
Wide Adaptability
Super Napier grass thrives across diverse environments and farm settings. It can grow well in the lowlands and can also tolerate higher elevations up to 2000 meters above sea level. The grass can flourish in areas with rainfall as low as 500mm per year. But it is also highly responsive to irrigation and fertilization for dramatically increased production.
Super Napier grass can grow on a range of soil types from light sandy soils to heavy clays. But it performs best on well-drained, fertile loams with good organic matter content. The grass is also well-suited to a variety of planting methods including direct seeding, vegetative propagation using stem cuttings, and transplanting propagated seedlings.
The high adaptability and low environmental sensitivity of Super Napier grass enable widespread cultivation across many geographic regions and farm management systems. Farmers can tailor inputs and practices to optimize production for their specific conditions.
Weed Suppression
Once established, Super Napier grass forms a dense ground cover that suppresses weed growth. The grass quickly shades out emerging weeds and competes strongly for water and nutrients. Less weed pressure reduces labor requirements for weeding and herbicide applications.
The weed suppression provided by Super Napier grass also prevents problems with poisoning from toxic weeds. Cases of nitrate poisoning, for example, are a major risk when animals graze weedy pastures. But the dense, nearly weed-free sward of a well-managed Super Napier pasture avoids these toxicity risks altogether.
Soil Improvement and Erosion Control
As a perennial C4 grass, Super Napier grass develops an extensive root system that provides multiple soil benefits. The robust root network stabilizes the soil and reduces erosion. It also improves soil structure andadds valuable organic matter to the soil through root turnover and residue decomposition.
These positive impacts on the soil aid long-term farm sustainability. Erosion control and improved soil health support greater water infiltration and retention. Higher soil organic matter also increases nutrient and water holding capacity. Together these effects reduce risks of runoff, soil degradation, and nutrient depletion.
In addition, Super Napier grass can help suppress nematode pests in the soil that damage other crops. As part of an integrated soil management plan, Super Napier grass enables regenerative soil processes for greater farm resilience.
Reduced Risk of Bloat and Poisoning
Because of its soft, flexible stems, leafy composition, and high palatability, cattle grazing Super Napier grass have a lower risk of bloating compared to other forage grasses. Bloat occurs when gases produced during rumination get trapped, often due to animals eating young, tender grasses too quickly. The physical form and structure of Super Napier grass helps reduce gas entrapment and bloat incidents.
The weed-free nature of a well-managed Super Napier pasture also eliminates risks of toxicity from poisonous weeds. This gives farmers greater peace of mind regarding animal health. Careful grazing management is still required, but Super Napier grass itself provides a clean source of safe nutrition.
Higher Livestock Productivity
The combination of high yields, excellent nutrition, rapid regrowth, and palatability of Super Napier grass translate directly into increased livestock productivity. The grass enables higher stocking rates due to greater carrying capacity from greater biomass production per hectare.
Well-fed animals produce more milk, gain weight faster, and reproduce better. Research consistently shows cattle receiving a diet with a large proportion of Super Napier grass have excellent performance for meat and milk production.
For example, dairy cows fed fresh Super Napier grass can produce 18-30 liters of milk daily compared to an average of 6-8 liters for cows feeding on typical pasture. For beef cattle, Super Napier-fed animals can achieve daily liveweight gains of 1 kg or more.
The high productivity of the grass fuels greater productivity of livestock allowing farmers to increase profits. The low costs of producing Super Napier grass also mean the additional animal productivity comes at minimal extra expense.
Flexibility in Feeding Options
Super Napier grass offers farmers flexibility in how they utilize and feed the grass. Feeding options include:
– Grazing – Animals can directly graze standing Super Napier grass in a cut-and-carry system or a dedicated grazing paddock rotation.
– Green Chop – Freshly cut grass can be brought to livestock as nutritious green chop feed.
– Hay – Cut grass can be dried and baled into hay for feeding during periods of low pasture availability.
– Silage – Fermented Super Napier silage provides an excellent feed resource during the dry season.
– Complete Rations – Dried or ensiled Super Napier grass can be combined with supplemental feed ingredients to create complete feeds.
This versatility in feeding methods allows farmers to align production with seasonal conditions and animal needs. The grass serves as an excellent foundation feed that can be prepared and delivered in multiple ways year-round.
Low Labor and Input Requirements
Once established, Super Napier grass requires relatively minimal labor, fertilizer, and crop protection inputs compared to other forages and feed sources. The grass’s robust root system makes it efficient at scavenging nutrients and water from the soil. Areas with adequate rainfall often need little to no extra irrigation.
While fertilization and manure application support higher yields, Super Napier grass grows vigorously even with modest nutrient levels after the establishment period. The rapid growth and canopy coverage outcompete weeds well minimizing needs for weed control. And the grass has relatively good resistance to pests, diseases, and nematodes.
The ease of propagation and cultivation using stem cuttings provides a low-cost method of expanding Super Napier grass crops. Combined with the high biomass yields and nutritional quality, Super Napier grass delivers excellent feed output with lower labor and expenses than many other livestock feeding options.
Environmental Benefits
As a perennial C4 grass, Super Napier grass sequesters carbon from the atmosphere into the soil at a relatively high rate. The extensive root system contributes soil organic matter that supports substantial carbon storage. And the vigorous growth enables rapid carbon dioxide uptake and conversion into biomass.
Super Napier grass fields also support greater biodiversity than many other agricultural crops or degraded pasture land. Various insects and soil organisms thrive in the permanent vegetative ground cover. Birds flock to the swaying grass stems for nesting material and predation sites.
Compared to annual cropping systems, the perennial nature of Super Napier grass also improves soil health and structure over time while reducing soil erosion and nutrient runoff. And as a non-invasive sterile hybrid, Super Napier grass avoids problems with spreading or weediness.
The environmental benefits of enhanced biodiversity, reduced erosion, improved soil quality, and increased carbon sequestration make Super Napier grass highly sustainable. It aligns well with ecological farming practices.
Conclusion
Super Napier grass provides an impressive array of agronomic, environmental, and economic benefits that make it a valuable crop for livestock farmers. The exceptionally high biomass yields, nutritional quality, palatability, and regrowth rate of the grass enable substantial increases in livestock productivity per hectare of land.
With proper management, Super Napier grass is easy to grow, adapts broadly, and converts sunlight and basic inputs into abundant high-quality animal feed. It can be utilized through various preparation and feeding methods providing year-round nutrition. And it contributes to soil health, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem services for greater sustainability.
For smallholder farmers to large commercial producers in the tropics and subtropics worldwide, Super Napier grass is a beneficial forage crop that boosts productivity, profitability, and environmental stewardship. With so many advantages, it is no wonder Super Napier grass is considered a near-miracle plant and drivers of grassland intensification. Any livestock producer in the regions it thrives would do well to consider incorporating this super plant into their farming systems.
