On-farm testing of forage crops in the project area 1996 ... · The requirements for R&D of forage...
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On-farm testing of forage crops in the project area 1996 – 2001 Dr. Bui The Hung July 2001 Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Vietnam Sweden Mountain Rural Development Programme 1996 - 2001
Transcript of On-farm testing of forage crops in the project area 1996 ... · The requirements for R&D of forage...
On-farm testing of forage crops in the project area 1996 – 2001
Dr. Bui The Hung July 2001
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Vietnam Sweden Mountain Rural Development Programme 1996 - 2001
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Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................... 5
Chapter 2: General characteristics of the project area ................. 7
2.1 Natural conditions………………………………………………. 7 2.1.1 Eco-climatic zones..................................................................... 7 2.1.2. Land and land use .................................................................... 8
2.2 Socio-economic conditions of the project area....................... 9 2.2.1 Culture ....................................................................................... 9
2.2.2. Education 9 2.2.3. Economy................................................................................... 9 2.2.4. Nutrition .................................................................................. 10 2.2.5 Social differentiation ................................................................ 10 2.2.6. Demography ........................................................................... 10 2.2.7. Environmental degradation..................................................... 10 2.2.8. Market system ........................................................................ 10 2.2.9. Gender issues ........................................................................ 10
Chapter 3: Methodology and research contents ......................... 11
3.1 Problems arose between research and production/praxis... 11
3.2 Contents and methods............................................................. 12 3.2.1 Observational trial of the tropical forage crop collection ......... 14 3.2.2 Participatory on-farm trails of forage crops.............................. 14
Chapter 4: Achieved results .......................................................... 17
4.1 Phase I results: ......................................................................... 17
“Testing newly introduced forage crop collection at FRC”....... 17 4.1.1 Comments on forage crop collection ....................................... 17 4.1.2 Suggestions............................................................................. 19
4.2 Phase II Results: ...................................................................... 20
“On-farm trial of forage crops” ..................................................... 20 4.2.1 Tuyen Quang Project.............................................................. 20 4.2.2 Ha Giang Project ..................................................................... 33 4.2.3 Lao Cai Project ........................................................................ 39 4.2.4 Yen Bai Project ........................................................................ 41 4.2.5 Phu Tho Project ....................................................................... 42
4.3 Testing results ......................................................................... 44
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Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations .......................... 49
5.1 Conclusions .............................................................................. 49
5.2 Recommendations.................................................................... 50
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Chapter 1: Introduction Nowadays, almost all countries and agricultural organizations endeavor to help farmers in utilizing resources (biological, natural, social and economic) to raise their incomes and quality of life by improving existing agricultural production systems and adopting new technological innovations through extension programs. What will happen to farmers in remote areas when they are introduced to innovative technologies? Highly technological innovations sometimes become impractical. The following are the sequence of highly productive agricultural development and its effect: 1. Crop production model that is mainly based on crops 2. Crop production – animal husbandry model that addresses the relationship between crop production and livestock husbandry scientifically to increase economic efficiency and to protect the environment 3. Crop production – animal husbandry – processing model 4. Farming – processing – business (service) model The evolution of agriculture may follow the above sequence, but it is sometimes determined by comparative advantages. In the mountainous areas, the crop production - animal husbandry model (especially the raising of large animals) is comparatively more advantageous than in lowland areas. Over the last decades, the revolution of crop cultivars and animal breeds has contributed to the second agricultural revolution. Agriculture in the highlands usually follows and repeats the steps of the lowland, thus, its comparative advantage is not brought into full play. Over the last years, the Vietnam – Sweden Mountainous Rural Development Project has developed several integrated farming models, including agriculture, forestry, livestock and fishery. The project paid attention not only to productivity (yield) and income but also to sustainability, stability and community. According to the Consultative Report by Alan Robertson ( Nov.- Dec. 1995) the market for red meat ( cattle and buffalo beef and goat) is attractive and expanding. The demand for meat increased by 2-3% in the period 1980-1992. The price remained stable for a longer period of time compared with prices in neighboring countries, such as South China, Laos and Thailand. The author also emphasized “the demand for milk increased quickly”.
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Looking back at the production of ruminants (cattle, buffalo and goat), the limited quantity and quality of forage crops provided by natural grassland/pasture (grasses and broad-leafed plants) presents a constraint to the expansion and productivity of animal grazing. According to a consultative report (Introduction of forage crops in forestry farm project within Vietnam -Sweden Forestry Project in 1995), the capacity for grazing on natural pasture was usually below 10%. Evaluation of the SALTs pilot trials (Bui The Hung and Nguyen Hai Nam, 1995-1996) placed stress on the development of forage crops as a multipurpose plant in the slope-land farming systems. PRA results in the project areas indicated mountainous farmers’ demand for forage crops to expand livestock production. Sustainable agricultural systems should address the requirements of daily life and maintain the environment and resources for the future generations. Forage crops in the highland farming system have contributed partly to the creation of sustainability by diversification and provided short-term and long-term benefits. At the present time, after the land or forest allocation/assignment, farmers want to develop livestock husbandry, and parallel to introducing new animal breeds, raising technique and pest control, forage crops must be introduced and grown. Forage crops in slope-land farming also contributes to soil improvement (leguminous crops) and erosion control (legumes and grasses). Therefore, the development of forage crops will provide a positive solution for sustainable farming system, contribute to raising income, solve existing problems of the mountainous inhabitants and at the same time improve cultivated soils for future generations. The requirements for R&D of forage crops in the project area are: a. Forage cultivars/species must be diverse to be able to adapt to different ecological regions and to various animal species. Attention should be paid to forage crops, such as leguminous crops, that improve soils in specific ecological regions of dry and degraded highland. b. Recommendation of cultivars/species of forage crops suitable for growing at farm household level. c. Requirements or needs should stem from participatory research and development of forage crops.
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Chapter 2: General characteristics of the project area 2.1 Natural conditions The project area (Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang) is located in the arc of Gam River and the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, extending to the boundary with Hoa Binh province. The complex topography is separated/intersected by several mountains and alternated by valleys, river basins and streams. The majority of land is situated at 100 to 500 meters above sea level (asl). Some areas, such as Dong Van, Meo Vac and Quan Ba (Ha Giang), Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai), and Bac Ha and Sa Pa (Lao Cai) are located at 1000 – 1500 m asl, particularly the peak of Fansifan which reaches 3000 asl, resulting in a great diversity of climates. 2.1.1 Eco-climatic zones - Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang and Ha Giang belong to zone II, where
the cold winter is influenced directly by the monsoon northeast current/wind causing a sudden drop in temperature.
- Lao Cai and Yen Bai belong to zone I, influenced indirectly by the
monsoon northeast wind resulting in gradual lowering of temperature and a shorter winter (from 100-150 days); the summer is affected by the southwest wind, causing higher temperatures than zone II.
a. Temperature During winter temperatures in the area are 1-2oC warmer than in the northeast region, but cooler than the northwest region at the same latitude. However, temperature is also determined by attitude. Annual mean temperature in the valleys is low, around 22.5-23oC, declining to 20-22oC at an attitude of 200-500 m, 18-20oC at 500-1000 m and 15oC at 1500 m asl. The annual sum temperature in the valleys amounts to 8000-8500oC (500 oC higher than in the northeast region), 7800-8000 oC at 500m and 7000oC at 1000 m asl. The topographical direction and the monsoon regime cause a great fluctuation in temperature among regions.
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b. Rainfall In the project area there is abundant rainfall and in many locations the annual rainfall varies between 1800-2400 mm, but falls unevenly throughout the year. Some areas experience consistently high levels of precipitation, such as Bac Quang (Ha Giang) with 4802 mm and Hoang Lien Son (Lao Cai) with 3552.6 mm. By contrast, there are some areas with rather low rainfall, such as Nghia Lo (Yen Bai) with 1468 mm and Hoang Su Phi (Ha Giang) with 1527 mm. Cyclones often accompany rain (200 days per year with thunder showers has been recorded in Ha Giang). At the end of winter drizzle usually occurs for 50 or even 70 days in a year in Yen Bai. c. Relative air humidity These are the most humid regions of Vietnam and high humidity lasts throughout the year. With a monthly humidity of 83-90%, the highest humidity, in the lower region is around 90%, and over 90%, at higher elevations, occurs in the months of July and August. At the beginning of winter relative humidity is lower.
d. Sunshine hours The hours of sunshine are restricted, with an annual average from 1400-1600 hours (as compared with 1600-1700 on the northern plain). e. Wind and evaporation The direction of the wind depends upon topography. Average wind speed is about 1 – 1.5 m/s in the valleys (as compared with 2.5 m/s in the lowland). High relative air humidity, low hours of sunshine and wind speed result in a low evaporation rate. Total annual evaporation amounts to 500-800 mm, except in Mu Cang Chai, with 1051.7 mm and Hoang Su Phi, with 956.2 mm, owing to a longer lasting dry season. The above mentioned climatic and weather conditions are favorable to cultivated crops and forage crops, but also present some constraints, such as high humidity, low sunshine and pests. High but uneven rainfall causes flooding and soil erosion in summer and drought in winter. 2.1.2. Land and land use a. Land Almost all regions where the forage crops were tested are located in the lower highlands with moderately fertile and light loam. The hilly lands have pHs varying between 5 and 6, with some areas below 5, with low calcium and phosphorus content. On this land agronomic crops and forage crops thrive normally.
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b. Land use In the project area, some cropping patterns can be classified as follows: 1. Paddy cropping pattern in the lower flat land (valleys) 2. Home garden farming including fruit orchards and other
components (pond, livestock…) in the garden. This pattern is found at the foothills and around the hillock.
3. Forest and forest land system is found near to or farther from
homestead. 4. Swidden farming and pasture/grass land: this pattern originated
from forest land exclaimed for cultivation of rice, corn, cassava and legumes. Several years after use the land is less fertile and left to natural grassland.
Of these four cropping patterns, patterns 1 and 2 have been utilized effectively, while patterns 3 and 4 have not developed improvements or promoted conservation. The question is how to use the land in patterns 3 and 4 effectively and sustainably; The objective of the project is to utilize forage crops as a multi-purpose plant to improve these systems. 2.2 Socio-economic conditions of the project area Some important socio-economic characteristics of the project area can be described as follow: 2.2.1 Culture
There are 31 minor nationalities with 7 different languages. The nationalities live separately or together, the majority of villages or hamlets have three or more ethnic minorities living together. diversity and distinctiveness are manifest in villages, hamlets and households in the same location. In such a scenario “there should be no simple development model universally applicable and no single technological package that can meet the diverse requirements” – Project Document. 2.2.2. Education The education of the highland nationalities remains at a low level, below the national average. 10% of the Kinh, 18-24% of the Tay and Nung and 90-95% of the H’Mong suffer for illiteracy. 2.2.3. Economy There is a large gap/disparity between the highlands and lowlands in terms of medical care . The average life expectancy is 67 years for
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the Kinh, 65 for the Tay, 58 for the Thai, 50 for the Yao and 40 for the H’Mong. 2.2.4. Nutrition There is no insurance of sufficient food production in the highland to meet people’s minimum requirements (in 1994 food equivalent per capita was 239 kg as compared with the requirement of 350 kg). Therefore, food shortages and diseases often occur in many locations. 2.2.5 Social differentiation The mechanism of market economy exaggerates the disparity between the rich and the poor. In the highland, land and forest allocation has promoted production but the poor usually have less opportunity to access land (both subjective and objective), magnifying the disparity. 2.2.6. Demography In the recent years the Kinh have increasingly settled in the highlands. Rather high birth rates have accelerated population growth and caused environmental stress,, shortening the fallow period, creating fragility (reducing sustainability) of the swidden farming system.There is also severe underemployment for mountainous inhabitants. 2.2.7. Environmental degradation As environmental degradation due to forest destruction reduces vegetation cover (some areas below 10%), surface soil erosion becomes a serious problem. 2.2.8. Market system The market system is underdeveloped in addition to poor infrastructure, transportation and market information network. 2.2.9. Gender issues Gender inequality is a serious problem in some mountainous areas, particularly in Northern Vietnam. However, there has been a significant improvement/change in five provinces after some years of project implementation.
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Chapter 3: Methodology and research contents 3.1 Problems arose between research and production/praxis It is understood that research aims at serving production whereby techniques are the products of research, extension is the disseminating system and farmers are the end users. In practice the shortcomings are: • The objectives/goals of research are not linked to practical
production and farmers’ needs • Often researchers are not completely aware of traditional
technologies • Researchers often overlook socio-economic and organizational
constraints In remote areas there is a large gap between research and praxis. To narrow the gap and to shorten the time span between research and production we have employed a participatory applied research approach. • Participatory research means active participation of farmers in the
decision making of the research process, from diagnosis, planning, design and trial conduct to evaluation. New ideas suggested during the course were also transferred to research station (Figure 1).
Problem diagnosis
On-station research (FRC)
Planning and design
Farmers managing trials
Adaptation
Forage
Farmers’ participation crops eval in
research husbandry
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• In order to ensure the success of the research, the above steps must be followed strictly and regularly and close collaboration is required between technical experts, extension agents and farmers throughout the course of research and development (R&D).
3.2 Contents and methods The R&D process for forage crops was performed in two phases. • Phase I conducted on-station observational testing of forage crop
collection • Phase II conducted testing of forage crops using participatory on-
farm trials
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Table 1: List of the forage crop species tested
No. Species Replication A- Leguminous plants 1 Aeschynamene histrix CIAT 9690 2 2 Aeschynamene histrix CPI 93595 4 3 Arachis pintoi CIAT 22160 1 4 Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo 2 5 Centrosema acutifolium CIAT 5277 3 6 Centrosema brassilianum CPI 55698 4 7 Centrosema macrocarpum CIAT 25522 3 8 Centrosema pascuorum cv. Cavalcade 4 9 Centrosema pubescens CIAT 5160 3 10 Centrosema pubescens cv.Cardillo 4 11 Desmodium heterophyllum CIAT 349 4 12 Desmodium ovalifoliumum CIAT 13305 4 13 Desmodium rensonii CPI 46562 4 14 Flemingia macrophylla CIAT 17403 4 15 Macroptilium atropurpureum CPI 90844 2 16 Macroptilium atropurpureum cv. Aztec 2 17 Macroptilium bracteatum CPI 27404 4 18 Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 4 19 Stylosanthes guianensis FM05 – 1 3 20 Stylosanthes hamata cv.Verano 4 21 Stylosanthes scabra cv. Siran 4 22 Stylosanthes scabra cv. Seca 4 23 Vigna parkeri cv.Shaw 4 24 Zomia latifolia CIAT 728 4 B- Grasses 25 Andropogon gayanus CIAt 621 3 26 Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 16318 4 27 Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 6387 4 28 Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 6780 4 29 Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 26110 4 30 Brachiaria brizantha CIAT16835 4 31 Brachiaria brizantha CIAT16827 4 32 Brachiaria decumbens cv.Basilisk 4 33 Brachiaria humidicola cv.Tuly 4 34 Brachiaria humidicola CIAT 6133 4 35 Brachiaria humidicola CIAT 26149 4 36 Brachiaria ruziiensis ex.Thailand 4 37 Panicum maximum TD58 4 38 Panicum maximum CIAT 6299 4 39 Paspalum atratum BRA 9610 4 40 Paspalum guenoarum BRA 3824 4 41 Urochloa mosambicensis CPI 60128 4 42 Urochloa mosambicensis cv.Nixon 4
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3.2.1 Observational trial of the tropical forage crop collection a. Objectives To evaluate the forage crop germplasm for identifying species adaptable to the climatic and soil conditions of the project area, and;
To recommend adaptable and promising forage crop species for further verification in farmers’ fields and for expansion. b. Materials and methods Materials included 42 cultivars/species provided by FSP (Table1), of these 24 leguminous and 18 of the grass family (poaceae). Methods: The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications, 3 m2 plot size. Each replicate was laid out along the counter lines. Data record/collection was based on the FSP guidelines. Location and time: The experiment was conducted on the hilly land of the Phu Ninh Forestry Research Center (FRC), Phu Tho province, from July 1996 to December 1997. 3.2.2 Participatory on-farm trails of forage crops a. Objectives To make recommendations on forage crops that have been tested and verified on farms. The farmers participated throughout the research process: from planning, design, observation (data collection) and evaluation to usage of the forage crops in such a way that suites to the farming system and is economically efficient.
b. Materials and methods • Materials Following observational trials in FRC, adaptable species were selected. Based on results obtained from other locations like the Fodder Crops Research Center, these species were introduced for on-farm trials (Table 2).
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Table 2. List of forage crop species tested
Species No. Latin name Vietnamese name
Leguminous species 1 Caliandra calothyrsus Muång hoa ph¸o 2 Centrosema brasilianum CPI 55698 §Ëu b−ím 3 Centrosema pubescens cv. Cardillio §Ëu b−ím 4 Leucaena leucocephala CV. Taramba Keo ®Ëu 5 Gliricidia sepium Cäc rµo/anh ®µo 6 Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano Stylo 7 Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 Stylo
Grasses 8 Panicum maximum TD-58 Cá Ghi nª 9 Brachiaria ruziiensis Cá C«ng G«
10 Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk Cá tÝn hiÖu 11 Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 6780 Cá dÑp
• Methods - On-farm trials were conducted in areas ranging from 100 – 200 m2 for each household depending on land availability. Harvesting was done by cutting without grazing. Each household used the complete set of cultivars without replication. Animals used were buffalo, cattle, fish, pigs, etc. * Data collection and evaluation: • The program has conducted technical training for field officers in
the locations to finalize experimental methods, including the following steps: land preparation, planting, initial cultural management, data collection and harvesting.
• Participatory evaluation made use of two main approaches:
“classification based on preference” and “ absolute evaluation” The Schedule for data collection and evaluation: First time: after establishment of experimental plots Second time: after the first cut Third time: after the second cut Fourth time: at the beginning of winter Fifth time: at the end of winter * Location and time: On-farm trials were conducted in five provinces involved in the project, with 10 households in each province being trialed, starting from May – June 1997.
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Chapter 4: Achieved results 4.1 Phase I results: “Testing newly introduced forage crop collection at FRC” 4.1.1 Comments on forage crop collection
After one year testing the forage crop collection at FRC (from July 1996 to July 1997), some promising species were found for further trials in different regions under on-farm conditions. Three different groups were tentatively identified.
a. Soil cover group Species No. 6: Centrosema brasilianum CPI55698 This species exhibited fast and uniform emergence (4 days after sowing), high germination rate (90%) and fast growth. 4 months after sowing it completely covers the soil with a height of 195 cm. It is a perennial crop, remains green with few leaves dropping in winter and is drought and cold tolerant. At the end of winter and beginning of spring the plant starts flushing/sprouting. The plant flowers and releases many plump seeds, favorable to expansion. It is palatable and preferred by animals. Species No 16: Macroptilium atropurpureum cv. Aztec This species exhibited fast and uniform emergence (3-4 days after sowing), high germination rate (95%) and fast growth. 4 months after sowing it completely covers the soil with a height of 120 cm. The plants form a thick cover of 25 cm and dropped foliage improves soil fertility. It is a perennial crop, that remains green and vigorous with few leaves dropping in winter. At the beginning of spring the plant recovers. It is drought and cold tolerant and disease resistant. The plant forms flowers and plump seeds, favorable to expansion. It is preferred by animals. b. Groups of plants that can be planted as a green fence in SALTs model Species No. 1: Aeschynomene histrix CIAT 9690 Seeds germinate 6 days after sowing, with a high germination rate, 92%. Plants exhibit fast and uniform growth, attaining 60 cm in height and 70 cm in crown diameter 4 months after sowing. Plants bear abundant flowers and plump seeds, favorable to expansion. It is an annual crop with leaves (HUE ! DISIDUOUS??) dropping in winter. The species is herbaceous and forms a thick cover with a dense and uniform stand.
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Species No. 14: Flemingia macrophylla CIAT 17403 The plants are herbaceous with three compound leaves. Seeds germinate 7 days after sowing with a high germination rate (95%). Plants are perennial and suitable for hedges or green strips in the mountainous areas due to their cold tolerance. Plants grow slowly at the beginning and become faster later on (attaining 45 cm in height and 50 cm in crown diameter at 4 months after sowing). Plants grow uniformly, forming a good green strip and have quick regrowth/regeneration after pruning. It is expected that the plants would provide large biomass in the second year. Plants bear flowers and seeds.
Species No. 18: Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT-184
Quick germination (3-4 days after sowing), high germination rate (90%). It is a bushy type, reaches 40-45 cm in height and spreads to a diameter of 60-70 cm after 2 months. Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT-184 can thrive in less fertile, acidic soils and is tolerant to cold but not shade. It flowers late in the subtropical regions and forms seeds with difficulty. Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT-184 is branching at low nodes, forming a good green hedge to prevent soil erosion. It is widely adaptable in the lowlands. Other species (19, 20, 21 and 22) differ in characteristics and properties.
c. Grasses grown in the pasture or hedge
Species No. 36: Brachiaria ruziiensis ex. Thailand Quick germination (5-6 days after sowing), high germination rate (95%)., fast growth, reaching 70 cm in height 2 months after planting. It is a bushy type with crown diameter of 105 cm, each hill forms 30 tillers. Stems are tender and aromatic enticing to animals. Plants are less drought tolerant and fade at the end of winter. Plants recover and regrow strongly in spring to form relatively abundant seeds suitable for propagation and expansion. Species No. 30: Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 16835 Quick (6 days after sowing) and uniform emergence, high germination (93%) and high yielding (about 90 tons/ha). The plants reach 60 cm in height and 90 cm spreading 4 months after planting, form 30 tillers per hill, remain green in winter, drought and cold tolerant and resistant to insect pests and diseases. they are palatable and preferred by animals. The species No. 28, 29 and 31 (B. brizantha CIAT 6780, 26110 and 16827) have similar characteristics as the species No. 30 and they will be further tested in on-farm and regional trials.
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Species No. 37: Panicum maximum TD58 The grass grows in clusters. It is planted for cutting harvest, with high yield (~100 tons/ha), but poor drought tolerance. The species N0 38 P. maximum CIAT 6299 has similar attributes. 4.1.2 Suggestions After one year testing of forage crop collection, we recommend the following cultivars/species for further on-farm trials and concurrent regional testing in the provinces of the project area: a. Grasses 1- Panicum maximum TD58 2- Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 6780 3- Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk 4- Brachiaria ruziiensis Thailand b. Legumes 1- Stylosanthes guianesis CIAT 184 2- Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano 3- Centrosema pubescens cv. Cardillo 4- Centrosema brasilianum CPI. 55698 5- Caliandra calothyrsus 6- Leucaena leucocephala cv. Taramba 7- Glirricidia sepium
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4.2 Phase II Results: “On-farm trial of forage crops” There were province-specific characteristics that caused the implementation and results achieved in each province to be different. The following summarized preliminary results are of on-farm trials in the five provinces. 4.2.1 Tuyen Quang Project Title of Study: ” Testing and development of forage crops at household level in the project area”. a. Objectives and requirements
Objectives
• Identify forage crop species suitable to natural conditions of Tuyen Quang
• Identify groups of forage species suitable to different animals
(buffalo, cattle, goat, pig, fish, ...) • Develop preliminary pilots for forage crops in the hilly garden
systems that are economically efficient and contribute to soil improvement
Requirements
• Farmers involved in forage crop trials themselves assess the adaptability of each species to the climatic and soil conditions and preference of each animal species, based on which decisions are made for development and expansion,
• Develop and recommend to farmers of forage crops a planting
model in conjunction with livestock husbandry (fish, buffalo, cattle,...) that results in high economic efficacy and sustainable farming system.
b. Contents and methods of implementation
Contents
Testing 11 forage species recommended by MRDP Project following trials in FRC with five additional species. i. Setaria sphacelata ii. Paspalum atratum iii. Pennisetum purpureum iv. Wynn cassia
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v. Flemingia macrophylla A total of 16 species were tested at farm household level, the testing area varying depending on land availability.
Location, scale and steps The implementation process was divided into three stages: Stage 1: conduct verification trial of 16 forage species (in 9 households) Stage 2: Development of forage growing and livestock pilot/model at farm household level (53 households) Stage 3: Scaling up and expanding to mountainous regions (605 households) After each stage, the number of farm households and testing area under forage crops increased, from 9 households and 1.5 hectares in stage 1 to 53 households and 6 hectares in stage 2, and 559 households and 30 hectares in stage 3. The number of forage species tested decreased correspondingly from 16 to 10 and 5.
Organization and implementation • MRDP Project (ministerial and provincial levels) supported
budgetary finance, materials, training, follow-up and evaluation • FSP Project provided seeds, consultancy, training involvement
and evaluation • Farmers participated in diagnosis, implementation, follow-up,
evaluation and scaling up. The organization and implementation procedure were realized as depicted in Chart 2.
Follow-up and evaluation i. Objective of evaluation To identify the needs of farmers as well as the adaptability of forage crops to natural conditions and animals, in order to find solutions/new ideas that meet R&D requirements. ii. Methods Participatory Evaluation approach was employed (classification based on preference and absolute evaluation).
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iii. Composition Included: - Farmers as regular representatives in evaluation
sessions - Provincial project officers assigned to implement and
follow-up evaluation - MRDP advisers, FSP project advisers and experts from
National Institute of Animal Husbandry Table 3: Location, scale and forage species tested and scaled up (multiplied).
Time Location
Scale (households)
Area (ha) Forage crop species
Stage I Apr. 1997 to Apr. 1998
Phu Lam commune My Bang commune Chan Son commune Thai Son commune Thai Hoa commune Duc Ninh commune ----------------- Total
2 1 1 1 1 3 --------- 9
1.5
Panicum maximum TD58 B. brizantha Pennisetum purpureum B. decumbens B. ruziiensis Stylosanthes guianensis 184 S. hamata Centrosema brasilianum Centrosema pubescens Leuceana leucocephala Gliricidia sepium Caliandra calothyrsus
Stage II From May 1998 to May1999
Phu Lam commune My Bang commune Chan Son commune Duc Ninh commune ----------------- Total
10 10 6 27 ------- 53
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Panicum maximum TD58 Setaria sphacelata B. brizantha B. decumbens S. guianensis 184 Flemingia macrophylla Caliandra sepium Paspalum atratum Wynn cassia Pennisetum purpureum
Stage III July 1999 to 2001
Na Hang district Ham Yen district Son Duong Chiem Hoa district Yen Son district -------------------- Total
23 228 96 10 208 -------- 605
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Panicum maximum TD58 Stylo. guianensis 184 B. brizantha Pennisetum purpureum Paspalum atratum
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iv. Evaluation schedule 1998: Evaluation of forage crop verification trials at farm household level First time (26-27 Apr.) Members: Peter Horne, Le Hoa Binh, Bui The Hung and Vu Hai Yen Second time (10 – 13 Aug.) Members: Le Van An and Vu Hai Yen Third time ( 27-28 Nov.) Members: Peter Horne, Le Hoa Binh, Bui The Hung, Vu Hai Yen and Pham Vu Quyet 1999: March Members: Bui Xuan Am, Vu Hai Yen, Dao Van Quang, and Ha Quang Minh (2 village officers) 2001: Evaluation of forage growing models/pilots and livestock husbandry April Members: Bui The Hung, Vu Hai Yen, Duong van Khoa, Vu Do, Pham Vu Quyet and Nguyen Van Thanh
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MRDP
Local technical officers
MRDP
MRDP
Local technical officers
Local technical officers
Participatory Evaluation
Participatory Evaluation
Participatory planning
Participatory planning
Participatory planning Participatory
Evaluation
Participatory testing
Participatory testing
Participatory testing
Participatory
diagnosis
Problem
Problem identification
Participatory diagnosis
Problem identification
Participatory diagnosis
Figure 2: Chart illustrating farmers and institutions involved in R&D of forage crops in Tuyen Quang, 1997 – 2001
FSP
NARI
Farmers’participation in research
FSP
FSP
NARI
NARI
Farmers’participation in research
Farmers’participation in research
FSP
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Table 4: Selection of sites and farm households involved in R&D of forage crops.
Time Location Farm households
Objectives and requirements for
developing forage crops
5/1997
Yen Son district
Ham Yen district
9
Testing the adaptation of forage crops to local ecological
conditions
5/1998
Yen Son district
Ham Yen district
53
Growing forage crops in pilot animal farms
(fish, buffalo and cattle) with high
economic efficiency
4/2001
Na Hang district
Son Duong district
Yen Son district
Ham Yen district
605
Pilot evaluation and planning to expand
forage crops in different integrated farming systems
c. Implementation results 1. Selection of target area and farmers involving in testing and developing forage crops
Based on the household’s production, the Tuyen Quang project employed a participatory approach to select farm households that were capable of and interested in growing forage crops. The selection process was realized as scheduled below: Thanks to a selection relevant to the farmers’ need and their farming systems, favorable steps for the development process of forage crops have been created. This process was linked with the evaluation steps.
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Table 5: Adaptation and ease of utilization of the tested forage crops.
Time Location Participate HH
Forage crops preferred by
farmers
Score Utility
Phu Lam commune 5
Stylo _ 184 L. Leucaena Pennisetum
8 8 7
- Feed for pigs - Erosion control, shade plant - Cattle fodder Bat
ch 1
26 – 27 Apr Duc Ninh
commune 5 P.M. TD58 B. Brizantha B. Decumbens
9 9 6
- Fodder for buffalo, cattle and pigs - Make use of non-cultivated land, pond dike
10 Aug
Phu Lam commune 6
Stylo _ 184 P.M _ 58 Leucaena Pennisetum
8 10 8 9
- Fodder for buffalo, cattle and pigs - Erosion control - Feed for buffalo and cattle
11 Aug
Chan Son commune 4
Setaria P.M _ 58 Stylo _ 184
8 10 7
- Fodder for fish, buffalo, cattle and pigs - Intercropping in fruit orchard - Make use of non-cultivated land
Batch II
12 Aug
Duc Ninh commune 6
P.M _ 58 Setaria B. Brizantha
10 8 9
- Fodder for fish, buffalo, cattle and pigs - Intercropping in fruit orchard - Make use of non-cultivated land
27 Nov
Phu Lam commune 5
P.M _ 58 Stylo _ 184 Leucaena Pennisetum
10 8 8 9
- Fodder for fish, buffalo, cattle and pigs - Intercropping in fruit orchard, against erosion - Feed for buffalo and cattle
27 Nov Chan Son 3
Setaria P.M _ 58 Stylo _ 184
7 10 8
- Fodder for fish, buffalo, cattle and pigs - Intercropping in fruit orchard - Make use of non-cultivated land
Batch III
28 Nov
Duc Ninh commune 5
P. maximum TD 58 Setaria B. brizantha Stylo Pennisetum
10 7
10 7 9
- Fodder for fish, buffalo, cattle and pigs - Intercropping in fruit orchard and forest - Make use of non-cultivated land - Feed for buffalo and cattle
27
2. Implementation results and evaluation In 1998, Tuyen Quang project conducted three evaluations and the results are presented in Table 5.
Adaptability of forage crop species in the farm systems Evaluations at different locations and times in the stage I indicated that the following forage species are preferred by farmers:
1. Guinea grass - P. maximum TD58 is high yielding. Despite its
slow growth in winter, in the low area the Guinea grass performs well and is widely adapted to several soil types and is eaten by a number of animals (buffalo, cattle and fish). It can be planted as a grass strip/hedge to prevent erosion. A substantial advantage of the Guinea grass is its ability for vegetative propagation. These reasons explained the high score given by farmers (9.82)
2. B. brizantha is high yielding, suitable for buffalo and cattle. It is
cold and drought tolerant and showed better growth than Guinea grass. Although B. brizantha has several advantages, particularly cold and drought tolerance, it has been rated lower in the fish raising area (9.33).
3. Elephant grass – Pinnesetum purpureum. The grass existed in
North Vietnam for many years with high yield under fertile and intensive conditions, i.e. high dose of fertilizers and irrigation. It is highly suitable for in-door cattle and buffalo keeping. The score 8.5 was attributable to infertile soil condition and drought leading to poor growth.
4. Stylosanthes guianensis is low yielding, a protein-rich feed,
suitable for pigs, buffalo and cattle. It exhibited slow growth in winter but well in summer, good ability as a cover crop and erosion control. However, it does not set seed and thus, is rated poorly (7.58)
5. Seteria is relatively high-yielding, suitable for fish, buffalo, cattle
and pigs; cold and drought tolerant. It has several advantages but is less productive and rated moderately (7.5)
Through stage I evaluation in Tuyen Quang, farmers divided the forage crops into the following usages: 1. Forage group used for fish: Guinea grass, Paspalum and
Setaria
2. The forage group used for buffalo and cattle: Guinea grass, Stylo – 184, B. brizantha, Pinnesetum paspalum, Setaria, Leucaena
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3. The forage group for pigs: Guinea grass, Stylo – 184, Pinnesetum,Paspalum
4. The forage group used for soil cover: Stylo – 184, Stylosanthes
hamata and shading: Leuceana, Flemingia 5. The forage crop group forming erosion control hedges: Guinea
grass, Stylo – 184, B. brizantha
3. Development process and scaling up Education, training and field trips (field excursion)
From May 1997 to May 2001, MRDP and FSP provided financing for:
• Training 76 farm households in 4 pilot communes • Organizing field excursions for 560 farmers in the pilot
communes: Phu Lam, Duc Ninh, My Bang, Chan Son. • Technical training for 600 farmers involved in growing forage
crops
4. Pilot development and scaling up Pilot development Forms and scale • The Tuyen Quang project for forage crops development was
tentatively divided into two stages, pilot development and scaling up. In practice these were hard to separate since a pilot of growing forage crops combined with livestock husbandry requires time and support from the project, including technical assistance (training, field excursion), materials (planting materials), credit (capital loan for production expansion) and budgeting for all activities (consultant payment,...). Besides which, time was required to change the perceptions of the officials (leaders and technical officers) and framers.
The Tuyen Quang project has preliminarily established a pilot for forage crops and grass carp raising with high economic efficiency and subsequently shifting to forage crops for beef cattle. The outcomes of the pilot were assessed in December 2000 (Table 6)
29
Table 6 – Evaluation of some development pilots for forage crops in Tuyen Quang.
Ways of using forage crops
Dist
rict
Com
mun
e
Farmers’ evaluation
Starting area (m2/HH)
Forage crops to be grown HH Expanded area (m2/hé)
Time within the day/season Planting site Animals
fed Participation
55 Harvest for fish P.M,.P. atra S. splendida
Mornings, year-round Around the pond Fish Whole family involved in planning
Within group 150 – 200
Harvest for cattle, buffalo P.M, B.bri, B.de, P. atra, Stylo. 186
31 Afternoon, evening, year-round
Intercropping with fruit trees, food crops, and homegarden
Buffalo, cattle
Women manage whole family
Tu Q
uan
3 in the above group
100 Woody legumes, shading and fencing. G. se, L. Leu, C. Cala
No seed
300 -400
Less frequently used Intercropping with tea and in home garden
Buffalo, cattle, pigs
Both women and men
59 Harvest for cattle and buffalo. P.M, B.bri, B.de, P.atra, Stylo.184
Afternoon, evening, year-round
Intercropping with fruit trees, food crops, homegarden
Buffalo and cattle
Women manage, whole family
40 in the above group
250 – 300
Harvest for fish P.M, P.atra, S. splen
40 500 -600
Mornings, year-round Around the pond Fish Planting – all family members
2 100 Woody legumes for live fencing Sepium, L.Leu, C.Cala
No seed
500 In dry season Hilly garden Pigs, buffalo and cattle
Men and women
Yen
Son
Phu
Lam
4 300 Hedgerow for erosion control P.M, Stylo.184, L.Leu
1 500 Alternate cuts
Slope land Pigs, cattle and buffalo
Men
Harvest for fish P.M, P.atra, S.Splen Mornings, year-round Around the pond Fish Planting – all family members
99 150 – 300 Harvest for cattle and buffalo. P. M, B. brizantha, B. decumbens, P. atra, Stylo.184
60 Afternoon, evening, year-round
Intercropping with fruit trees, food crops, homegarden
Cattle and buffalo
Women manage, whole family
5 100 Woody legumes for live fencing. G. sepium, C. calothyrsus, F. macrophylla
No seed
500 - 600
Year-round Around home garden Fish, buffalo and cattle
Men Ham
Yen
Duc
Nin
h
4 300 Hedgerow against erosion. P.M, Stylo.184, P .atra
2 500 Year-round Slope land For many animals
Men and women
30
Table 7 – Organizational network, expansion capacity of forage crop development in Tuyen Quang Institution Location Officers in charge Working unit Farm households
participated Area planted with forage
crops
District Commune Village 1999 2000 2001 1999 2000 2001
Provincial Dept. Vu Hai Yen Field officer (Technical Division)
of Agriculture Duong van Khoa Director
and Rural Dev’t Vu Do Deputy Director
Nguyen Tho Lai Extension
Tran Thi Tich Extension
Yen Son Tran Thi Tich Extension 69 134 208 0.05 0.07 7
An Tuong 0/1/0 Pham Van Duong Extension
Tu Quan 4/1/1 Nguyen Thanh Huong Extension
Thang Quan 2/2/1 Vu Thi Huong Extension
Song Lo 1/1/- Vu Hai Yen Extension
Chan Son -/1/- Nguyen Kim Hoa Extension
Phu Lam 3/2/1 Doan Thi Lan + Vu Quoc Binh Women’s Union + Extension
Tien Bo -/1/- Nguyen Khac Thanh Extension
Lang Quan -/1/- Luong Kim Nhung Extension
Ham Yen Do Chi Quyen Extension 69 161 228 0.06 0.11 13
Thai Son 1/-/- Nguyen Xuan Phuong Extension
Thai Hoa 2/1/1 Tran Van Tuan Extension
Duc Ninh 6/2/1 Ha Xuan Khanh Extension
Tan Thanh 1/1/1 Nguyen Thi Thuy Extension
Phu Luu 2/1/1 Extension 21 31
Son Duong Le Hong Son Extension 27 96 11
Thuong Am 2/1/1 Vu Van Quyet, Lam Van Hoc Extension 11 31
Tam Da 1/1/1 Nguyen Van Minh Extension 6 16
Ky Lam 2/1/1 Vu Anh Dung Extension 20 50
Cap Tien Do Thi Xuan Extension 2 5
Chiem Hoa Le Van Si Extension 2 5
Tan An 1/1/1 Le Van Tien Extension 7 17
Na Hang …..
Da Vi 1/-/1 ……
Total 322 559 30
31
The results showed that the forage crops have been selected by the people in such a way that they are suitable for each kind of animal and can be planted in appropriate sites in the farm systems. Thanks to the development of the forage crops farmers use their land resources better (non-cultivated land, green strip to prevent erosion, pond dike, fence), and the labor and time of family members is more efficient, consequently improving income. Economic efficiency Tuyen Quang project has not yet reviewed the economic efficacy of the pilots. Below are three pilots of forage crops and cattle and fish production that are efficient economically: 1. the Household of Mr. Tran Van Hung, Ngoi Xanh 2 village, My
Bang commune has been involved in the project since 1995. The area of the hill garden is 2500 m2 planted with longan and litchi alternating with Tephrosia candida rows. Three years after investing in labor and capital, income has been derived from short duration crops. Starting from the beginning of spring 1998, Mr. Hung tested the forage crops on green rows replacing T. candida (mainly Guinea grass) combined with reproductive cattle and fish). Results are presented in the Table below:
Item 1998 1999 2000 2001
Area under forage crops (m2)
50 500 700 1200
Income increment (VND/ year)
Heads of cattle 1 2 4 6 2,200,000 Fish production (kg) 50 100 - 150 1,500,000
Fertilizers (tons) 2 4 8 12 1,200,000 Total 4,900,000
Preliminary analysis showed that the annual average income of Mr. Hung’s household increased VND 4,900,000 VND owing to growing forage and raising cattle and fish.
2. Mr. Dao Viet Truong’s household, Luong village, Duc Ninh
commune has 4 hectares of cultivated land and a 1000 m2 pond. His household participated in the forage crop project in 1999, when he planted 700 m2 with Guinea grass and Paspalum. the area increased to 1400 m2 in 2000. Growing forage crops and raising fish increased household income significantly.
32
Product/item 1998 1999 2000 2001
Investment: - Cassava (VND)
- Forage crops (m2)
0 0
120,000
700
200,000
1,400
200
1,400 Fish production (kg) 100 200 400 600
Income (VND) 1,100,000 2,200,000 4,400,000 6,600,000
Preliminary analysis suggests that after two years of growing forage crops and raising fish, Mr. Truong increased his average family income by VND 3.300.000 compared with 1998.
3. Mr. Le Xuan Binh’s household, village 22, Duc Ninh commune has
3 hectares cultivated land, 2500 m2 of agronomic crop and a 3600 m2 pond. He has been involved in the project from 1995 but started to grow forage crops for raising fish in 1999, and in 2000 he planted 5 species: Guinea grass, Paspalum, B. brizantha, Flemingia and Stylosanthes – 184, a total area of 2000 - 2500 m2
Item 1998 1999 2000
Investment - Cassava (VND)
- Forage crops (m2)
450,000
0
150,000 1,500
150,000
2,000 Fish production (kg) 350 500 670
Income (VND) 3,000,000 4,100,000 5,900,000
After two years of forage crop cultivation he increased his annual income by VND2.000.000 compared to 1998. The households of Mrs. Hung, Truong and Binh realized the following benefits from growing forage crops:
• Growing forage crops is simple and easy and the labor needed for
the grazing of buffalo and cattle is reduced by 50% due to cutting, liberating women’s and children’s labor.
• High yield/productivity, high use efficiency and quality of feed
results in a greater number of animals that can be raised per unit area.
• Growing forage crops utilizes resources better, contributing to the
prevention of soil erosion and the improvement of soil fertility • Growing forage crops for animals (fish, cattle, buffalo, chicken
and pigs) improves their growth and provides stable income
Development and expansion
After the initial success of the pilots in growing forage crops and raising animals (1999), training and excursions to the pilots improved the awareness of farmers, and the pilots credibility. Starting from 2000, together with MRDP, FSP Project and CIAT have actively
33
supported and assisted the Tuyen Quang project. As a result, the development and expansion process of the pilots was continuous and favorable. Evaluation results in April 2001 presented in Table 7 indicate the districts, communes, villages and farm households increased in number considerably. Up to April 2001, 605 households participated in growing forage crops on 21 hectares in five districts, 14 communes and 53 villages. The results are encouraging, but problems to be overcome are: • the Establishment of seed or planting material production units • Training and developing a network of grassroots extension
workers for forage crops and livestock husbandry • Appropriate credit policy to help farmers expand their production 4.2.2 Ha Giang Project a. Introduction
Raising large animals in the highland districts of Ha Giang is advantageous, but the fodder relies mainly on natural sources that are becoming exhausted. Thus, in order to meet the needs of developing cattle husbandry in the coming years, MRDP in cooperation with HPM provided financial assistance to the Extension Center to carry out the project entitled:
“On-forest farm trials of forage crops in the highlands of Ha Giang”.
b. Goals 1. Investigate and evaluate the adaptability of some forage crop
species to the typical ecological regions in the province like Bac Quang and Quan Ba.
2. Expand some of the species investigated & evaluated in the key
areas like Quan Ba and Meo Vac. 3. Supply planting materials and set up seed production area for
forage crops 4. Make recommendations on growing forage crops and raising
large animals in the highlands Requirements: Farmers must participate throughout the process and make selections of forage crops most suitable to their land conditions and animals.
34
c. Contents and methods
Content
1. Testing 11 and 18 forage species supplied by FSP and HPM,
respectively 2. Adoption and scaling up at farm household levels (2000-2001)
Location, scale and implementation steps The process of implementation was divided into two stages: Stage 1: verification trial of the forage species at farm household level 1. Eleven species were tried at 10 households in Minh Thanh, Viet
Quang (Bac Quang) in 1997-1998 2. 18 Species were tested at two households in Quyet Tien (Quan
Ba), from 1999-2000 Stage 2: Adoption and scaling up of forage crops in Meo Vac and Quan Ba (2000-2001)
Organization and implementation 1. MRDP supported consultancy, finance and evaluation 2. HPM provided materials, follow-up and evaluation 3. Provincial Extension Center followed up, provided advice on
implementation and was involved in implementation and evaluation
d. Achieved outcomes
In the R&D steps, Ha Giang Project gave advice to farmers on follow up and evaluation. Results are summarized in Table 8.
Comments
Results obtained from the trial sites given in Table 8 indicate: • In the low area of Bac Quang the winter survival of almost all
forage crops was higher than in the highlands (Quan Ba and Meo Vac). It is necessary to select those expressing relative drought and cold tolerance for their adaptability to the highlands. B. brizantha, Paspalum atratum and Setaria sphacelata could be classified as Class I comparable with the control Guatemala. However, in the low area Panicum maximum TD58 and B. ruzizinensis performed well with high yields. Among leguminous crops tested in Ha Giang Caliandra calothyrsus exhibited good
35
cold tolerance in the highlands while Stylo – 184, Leucaena and Gliricidia were less cold tolerant but grew normally in the low areas.
• Yields were recorded only for grasses under ordinary growing
conditions. Thus yield was preliminarily calculated in the range from 60-70 tons/ha/year. Three highest yielding species were P. maximum TD58, B. ruziiensis and Guatemala grass (Tripsacum fasciculatum)
• Three species, namely Andropogom, Paspalum and Setaria were
superior in palatability, 5 other species: P. maximum TD58, B. brizantha, B. ruziiensis, B. decumbens and Guatemala grass were rated moderately and Sorghum was not eaten by cattle.
• Almost all of the grasses formed flowers but seed set was
dependent upon climatic and ecological conditions. Only three species P. maximum TD58, B. brizantha and Andropogom had good seed set. Some leguminous crops flowered but their seed set was not yet identified.
37
Table 8: Adaptability and development of the forage crop species tested.
Forage species Survival Tolerance Yield
(tons/ha)
Palatability Flowering Seed set
12/9
7 BQ
7/00
QB
7/00
MV
Col
d
Dro
ught
Cla
ss 12
/97
BQ
11/0
0 Q
B
11/0
0 M
V
12/9
8 BQ
11/0
0 Q
B
11/0
0 M
V
BQ
QB
MV
BQ
QB
MV
Poaceae 1. Panicum maximum TD58 ••• •• •• • • II 69 53 49 ++ ++ ++ ** ** ** * * * 2. Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 6870 ••• ••• •• •• I 50 40 ++ ++ ++ ** ** * * 3. Brachiaria ruziziensis ex Thailand ••• •• • • • II 55 37 59 ++ ++ ++ * * 4. Brachiaria decumbens ••• • • •• • II 47 + ++ - ** * 5. Andropgom gayanus • • 59 +++ * * 6. Paspalum atratum ••• • •• I 58 +++ 7. Setaria sphacelata •• •• •• I 27 38 +++ +++ 8. Sorghum 6 5 + - Guatemala Tripsacum fasciculatum •• •• •• •• I 100 120 90 ++ ++ Leguminoceae 9. Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 •• • 30 25 33 + + + ** ** 10. Stylosanthes hamata cv. Verano •• •• •• • • - - ** 11. Centrosema pubescens Cv. Cardillo •• - - 12. Centrosema brasillianum •• - - ** 13. Caliandra calothyrsus ••• •• •• •• I - - 14. Leucaena leucocephata Cv. Taramba
••• • • • II - -
15. Gliricidra sepium ••• • • II 29 + - 16. Alfalfa • • - + * * 17. Lucern • • - - Other families 18. Promose tymoth - - 19. Nordie orchordgord - - 20. Geepin gredfesul - - 21. Mustard • • - - * * 22. Barseem • • + + 23. Median brome • - -
39
Legend ••• Very good
•• Good
• Poor +++ highly preferred
++ Moderately preferred + Less preferred (usually grasses) - No feeding
** Good flowering and seed set * Poor flowering and seed set
4.2.3 Lao Cai Project a. Basic information Lao Cai is a mountainous province with a total natural land of 804,000 hectares; natural pasture land is increasingly uncommon and non-cultivated land has been allocated to farmers for use. Recently the need for developing animals, the intensification of pasture land and the growing of new high-yielding and good quality forage crops has become urgent. b. Contents and methods
Contents
“ Testing some forage crop species (supplied by MRDP and
FSP) at farm household level”
Eleven forage crop species commonly recommended in five provinces were tested. • The trial was conducted at 10 households with 150 m2 each, and
of these 6 households are in Hamlet Cam, Bao Thong district, and 4 households are in Thong Nhat ward, Cam Duong town, from July 1997 to Dec. 1998.
• Scaling up occurred at 5 households in Hamlet Lau, Muong
Khuong district with 6 selected species of forage crops and put in the sites appropriate in the farming system (pond dike, erosion hedges, fallow land)
1. Panicum maximum TD58 2. Brachiaria brizantha
3. Brachiaria ruziiensis
40
4. Brachiaria decumbens
5. Stylosanthes guianensis 184
6. Gliciridia sepium
Methods
The trial was conducted based on the guidelines of MRDP and FSP • Farm household selection: it was required that farmers be willing
to participate and have an interest in growing pasture for raising animals.
• Farm households took part in training and were advised to collect
data • Each household grew 150 m2 of forage crops in appropriate
locations • Time of conduct: June 1997 c. Result evaluation After 6 months of trials the following comments could be made: • At germination stage: + Grasses had better germination (85%) than legumes
+ Stylosanthes and Centrosema had good germination rates (80%)
• Growth and adaptation: Grasses grew well while legumes did
slightly poorer due to soil acidity; Centrosema was infected by leaf blight and Gliciridia and Leucaena exhibited poorer growth than Caliandra.
• Utility: The leguminous crops have not been tested; the grasses
were fed to buffalo and cattle and classified as follow: B. brizantha > P. maximum TD58 > B. ruziiensis > B.
decumbens • The expansion of the 6 forage crops at 5 households in Ban Lau,
Muong Khuong district was stopped at trial level; there has been no experiment linked with animal feeding and , therefore, the efficacy of the farming system has not been determined.
41
d. Conclusion and remaining problems
Conclusions
After several participatory evaluations the following conclusions were made: 4 grass species; B. brizantha, P. maximum TD58, B. ruziiensis and B. decumbens and 3 legumes, Stylo – 184, Leucaena and Caliandra are recommended for cultivation.
Remaining problems • The project set no plan for follow-up and continuous assistance to
solve the problems encountered during the process of R&D • There has been no linkage between forage crop cultivation and
animal husbandry • In some locations farmers still asked for assistance like technical
assistance and planting materials 4.2.4 Yen Bai Project a. Basic information The Yen Hai Project selected 10 farm households, of which 5 from Dang Tho village of Yen Binh district and 5 from Village No. 3 of Co Phuc commune and village No. 2 of Tan Dong commune of Tran Yen district. b. Household selection and trial layout
Farm household selection
The Yen Bai project assigned the task to two institutions, the Forestry Stations of Yen Binh and Tran Yen, to coordinate the selection of farm households for involvement in growing forage crops and livestock husbandry.
Conduct of Experiment • Organize training on growing forage crops (including theory and
practice) • Farmers provided land plots in the home garden for growing. The
planting materials were divided evenly among the households; each cultivar/species was planted in a separate row for data collection and evaluation. The experimental size was 50 m2 per household. Planting time was 20 May 1997.
• 11 species provided by MRDP and FSP were used.
42
c. Results and evaluation i. Germination stage: all cultivars germinated well ii. Growth: The grass cultivars grew slowly due to the fact that they were planted in gardens under low light intensity and poor cultural management. iii. Resistance: Almost all forage crops (both grasses and legume plants) grew well except C. pubescens and C. brasilianum, which grew slowly and were infected with leaf blight. iv. Utility: Farmers involved in the trial concluded that the grasses can be used for live stock husbandry (buffalo, cattle and fish) but are not accustomed to or did not know how to use legume plants. d. Conclusions and remaining problems Conclusions The preliminary testing was still limited in scale, however, the forage crops tested (except Centrosema) can be grown and expanded in the area. Remaining problems A mistake in selecting farm households (7 households had no demand for growing forage crops for livestock) lead to poor crop management and failure. 4.2.5 Phu Tho Project a. General information Like the other four provinces, Phu Tho is a mountainous region suitable for cultivation of forages and livestock development.
b. Contents and methods a. Verification testing of the forage crops at household level was
conducted in the same manner as the other projects. At first, the test was carried out in ten households in Xuan Thuy commune, Yen Lap district in May 1997.
b. Establishing a pilot for forage cultivation at household level (16
farm households) at Huong Cam commune, Thanh Son district at the end 1999
c. Results and evaluation
Testing results The Phu Tho project conducted the test earlier (5 May 1997); the germination rate was high but the plants died completely due to the following reasons:
43
- Heavy rainfall intermittent with drought following
germination/emergence was the main cause of plant death. - Technicians and farmers lacked experience in nursery
management - The locations and farmers selected did not actually have demand
for developing forage and livestock. Results on pilot development d. General information
Two nationalities of Muong and Kinh live together in the Hamlet Chau, Huong Can commune of Thanh Son district, the Muong being a majority there. Besides agronomic crop production, people here are accustomed to raising the cattle, pigs, chicken and ducks (with the number of 130, 160, 300, 5800 heads, respectively) and fish.
i. Advantages • Hill forest land and natural pasture have big potential • Land (including forest land) has been allocated/assigned to the
people • People have a desire to develop farm economies through growing
forage crops and beef cattle production • There is a beef market with stable price ii. Problems • Grazing habit results in limited quantity and productivity of the
cattle herd. • Fodder source, mainly natural (pasture) is limited in quantity and
of poor quality. • Local breeds of cattle have low performance
Contents for pilot development
• Organizing a farmers group willing to participate in the pilot
development. The group consisted of 16 members, 50% of which are the Muong, having a need for growing forage and raising cattle.
• Provision of two training courses on forage crop growing in the
farming systems and cattle husbandry
44
• Organizing field excursion to the pasture fields and animal husbandry establishments in Ba Vi and Tuyen Quang
• Supporting/provision by the project of Sind steers (bulls) to
improve local cattle breeds Results
The progress of forage growing – cattle raising pilot in Chau Hamlet, Huong Can commune.
Aug. 1999 March 2000 July 2001 Participating households 2 16 25 Forage planted area (m2) 500 5290 10700 Head of cattle / village 160 179 205 Sind steers 1 2 1 Cross bred calves (with Sind) 0 0 75
4.3 Testing results
Characteristics of the forage crops
Data collection and evaluation were carried out according to the following schedule:
First time: After establishment of the testing plots (2-3 weeks) all cultivars geminated well. In Phu Tho, the conditions were favorable at the time of sowing, but long lasting drought occurred following emergence, and poor cultural management, resulted in crop failure. Second time: at the first cut (for grasses), 3-4 after planting. Third time: at the second cut. After the first cut, farmers were advised to collect data on regeneration ability and the yield of the second cut.
Fourth time: At the beginning of winter (November 1997)
Fifth time: At the end of winter (January 1998). The latter observations indicated that almost all forage cultivars showed adaptability in winter period. Some grass forages were able to form flowers and seeds. Results obtained from the phase I and during the course of development and expansion are presented in Table 9.
Forage crops of the family Poaceae The results from Table 9 indicated relatively high resistance to insect pests and diseases, wide adaptation and good cold tolerance of the
45
grasses, except B. ruziiensis that is less cold tolerant, but has good tolerance to water logging and drought. Of 8 species of the grasses, 7 prefer fertile soils, except Guatemala. These characteristics should be considered in planting and intensification. All 8 species of grasses require high precipitation (>1500 mm/year), except Panicum maximum TD58, Setaria sphacelata, Tripsacum fasciculatum, which require slightly lower rainfall (>1000mm/year). B. ruziiensis had the highest seed set, followed by B. brizantha, P. maximum, B. decumbens, Paspalum and Setaria. Elephant and Guatemala grasses formed no seed. Almost all grasses can be propagated vegetatively, i.e. by splitting or stem cuttings to some extent.
• P. maximum TD58, B.. ruziiensis, B.. brizantha and Setaria can be planted by splitting, these plants thrive.
• Paspalum, B.. decumbens grow and tiller poorly by using
cuttings for planting
• Pennisetum purpureum and Ttripsacum root and grow fast by cuttings.
In terms of utility as animal feed, P. maximum TD58 is preferred by several animals, namely cattle, buffalo, Fish, pigs, goats and rabbits. On the other hand P. maximum TD58 can be planted on the green strip in place of T. candida to prevent rainwater flow, soil erosion due to its growth habit in cluster and deep rooting. Because of the multiple usage, P. maximum TD58 and B. brizantha are superior to other grasses and ranked first, followed by B. ruziiensis, Setaria, Paspalum and lastly B.. decumbens. For buffalo and cattle, Paspalum, Setaria and Guatemala grass are superior. These species and B. brizantha are cold and drought tolerant in the highland. In the lower land, where soils are fertile and easy to intensify (fertilization and irrigation), planting elephant grass is advantageous in terms of performance. Leguminous forages The six leguminous forage crops tested can be divided into two groups: 1. Woody legumes
1- Leucaena leucocephala cv. Taramba 2- Caliandra calothyrsus
3- Gliricidia sepium
2. Herbaceous and bushy legumes (creeping, twining)
1- Flemingia macrophylla
46
2- Stylosanthes guianensis
3- Centrosema pubescens and C. brasilianum).
• Of woody legumes, Leucaena leucocephala is a valuable feed for
pigs, buffalo, cattle, goats, rabbits, fish and chickens and is also a good shading plant for tea and coffee. However, it has some disadvantages, like soil fertility preference, intolerance to acidic soil, poor tolerance to logging and susceptibility to Pyralids, which limit its adaptation and expansion. In addition, the rate of germination was low and the initial growth slow. Despite these advantages expanding the crop should be considered under appropriate conditions.
• Caliandra calothyrsus and Gliricidia sepium are more tolerant to
acidic soils but poorly resistant to insect pests and diseases. Although these two species have lower productivity in terms of green biomass than Leucaena leucocephala, their value as animal feed has not been determined through testing. However, apart from feed value, these crops are useful in the farming systems, improving and conserving soils, thus they should be further investigated and expanded in appropriate ecological regions.
• Of the bushy/herbaceous legume plants, particularly Stylosanthes
guianensis 184 exhibited good tolerance to drought, low soil fertility, cold, degeneration and insect pests and diseases, but its logging tolerance is poor. In terms of utility, it is a valuable feed for pigs, goat, rabbit, buffalo, cattle and fish. In addition, Stylosanthes guianensis 184 has superior characteristics, such as high germination rate, wide adaptability, early and abundant branching and is therefore preferred by farmers (Tuyen Quang). Planting on green strips replacing T. candida helps conserve soils and reduces pruning labor. Stylosanthes guianensis has higher diversity as compared with other forage legumes and thus ranked in the first place. Stylosanthes hamata is not preferred due to its poor growth.
• Centrosema brasilianums and C. pubescens exhibited rather
poor growth and are susceptible to leaf blight and are therefore not preferred.
• Flemingia macrophylla CIAT 17403, apart from moderate
tolerance to water logging, is tolerant to drought, low soil fertility, acidity, cold and pests. Despite its good seed set, it is used mostly as feed for goats and rabbits, thus restricting its expansion. However, F. macrophylla, can be utilized as a soil improving plant for post-slash and burn cultivation in the highland.
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Evaluation of forage crops based on farmers’ preferences Table 10. Summary of evaluation results by local people of promising forage cultivars (per cent people preferred).
Location Brachiaria. decumbens
Brachiaria brizantha
Panicum maximum TD58
Stylosanthes guianensis
Brachiaria ruziiensis
1. Ha Giang 80 75 77.7 37.5 2. Lao Cai 100 75 100 66.6 3. Tuyen Quang 66.6 75.0 100 100 4. Yen Bai 50 75 100 100 Mean 66.5 81.25 88.1 75.8 77.7
In order to evaluate more accurately, in terms of utility and adaptation, the tested forage crops, we (Bui The Hung, Le Hoa Binh and Vu Hai Yen, 1/1998) conducted surveys with farmers’ evaluation through discussion, using open-ended questions. Results are given in Table 10. Results showed that species of grasses are classified in the following order of preference: P. maximum TD58 > B. brizantha > B. ruziiensis > B. decumbens (with respective percentage of 88.1 > 81.25 > 77.7 > 65.5%). the obtained results are reliable in light of the large numbers of farmers asked. These results are also in accordance with the evaluation by field officers. Legume forage that has not yet been compared and evaluated (Stylosanthes guianenesis) was positively evaluated by some farmers in Tuyen Quang). Evaluation of forage crops according to their uses The forage crops were tentatively divided according to the groups of animals as follow:
1- For buffalo and cattle
1- Brachiaria brizantha CIAT 6780 2- Panicum maximum TD58
3- Paspalum atratum
4- Brachiaria. Decumbens
5- Pennisetum purpureum
6- Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184
7- Leucaena. Leucocephala
8- Tripsacum fasciculatum
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2- For pigs
1- Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 2- Panicum maximum TD58
3- Paspalum atratum
4- Setaria sphacelata
3- For fish 1- Panicum maximum TD58
2- Paspalum atratum
3- Setaria sphacelata
4- For goats and rabbits
1- Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 2- Flemingia marcrophylla
3- Leucaena leucophala
5- Soil cover and improvement
1- Centrosema pubescens 2- Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184
3- Flemingia marcrophylla
4- Stylo hamata
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Chapter 5: Conclusions and recommendations 5.1 Conclusions Adaptability of the forage crop species
• Among the forage crop species tested, 8 of the family poaceae are mostly preferred:
1- Panicum maximum TD58 2- Brachiaria brizantha
3- Pinnesetum purpureum 4- Brachiaria ruzizinensis ex Thailand 5- Brachiaria decumbens 6- Setaria sphacelata 7- Paspalum atratum 8- Tripsacum fasciculatum
All 8 species exhibited good adaptation, however appropriate selection for growing particular species depends on the location and the animals raised. These species are ranked in the following order of priority: (1) > (2) > (3) > (4) > (6) > (7) > (5) > (8)
• Among the forage crops tested, the following preliminary
conclusions were made about the legume plants. Of the bush/herbaceous legumes only Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 was found to be highly adaptive and can be used as feed for a wide range of animals (buffalo, cattle, pigs, fish, goats or rabbits) and at the same time as a soil cover and soil improving plant. Flemingia marcrophylla merits further investigation. Of the woody legume plants, ipil-ipil - Leucaena leucocephala cv. Taramba should be grown in the neutral soils since it is a nutricious, protein-rich fodder plant that can be utilized for buffalo, cattle, pigs, fish, goats and rabbits. Caliandra calothyrsus and Gliricidia sepium need further study in the highland area.
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The lessons drawn from applied research and development of the forage crops
• Applied research and development of the forage crops should
stem from the people’s demand and the actual production. The Tuyen Quang project selected the sites (locations and farm households) pertinent to the need and was initially successful.
• Continuous support over a long period (3-5 years) is required.
Involvement of farmers in research, evaluation and problem solving in the development process is necessary
• Growing forage crops should be combined with animal
production in a systematic and effective manner.
• Development officers should be aware of growing techniques for the forage crops, the livestock husbandry and extension methods as well as being enthusiastic.
5.2 Recommendations 1- A seed/planting material unit for the forage crops should
be established as soon as possible to meet demand for the forage crop development of farmers.
2- Provide training for and set up a network of grassroots
extension workers for the technical development of forage crops.
3- Together with testing at an appropriate scale, scaling up
should be attempted early, based on results obtained from the test sites and linked to the regional plan/projection for livestock production.
4- Testing and expanding forage crops should be in parallel
with other multiple purpose and cover crops in the slope land farming system, especially in the highlands.
