FUNAAB don identifies opportunities in sown pasture

A Professor of Pasture Agronomy and Forage Utilisation, College of Animal Science and Livestock Production (COLANIM), Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Professor Jimoh Olanite, has identified the opportunities that abound in the production of hay from sown pasture for ruminant animal production.

According to him, the availability of steady supply of herbaceous forage legumes and grasses, as feed resources for ruminant animal production, had been of great challenge for livestock farmers in the country, leading to the damage of farmlands.

Professor Olanite, whose research interest involves the evaluation of grasses and herbaceous legumes as feed resources for ruminant animal production, disclosed that species like Panicum maximum, known as Guinea grass and green panic grass, and Brachiaria decumbens, known also as signal grass, were common grasses that could withstand grazing pressure and are highly nutritious.

The professor disclosed that the major outcomes of his research on sown pasture revealed that the Fulani herdsmen were ready to utilise technologies, if the right environment was provided.

Olanite noted that he and his other colleagues were currently working on another research proposal aimed at extending this technology to solve problems relating to animal grazing in the South-West Nigeria.