Breakthrough research: New napier grass gives up to 100 tonnes per acre

Kisii Agricultural Training Officer Caroline Gisera and County Director Agriculture John Ndege display the new napier. [Sammy Omingo, Standard]

Farmers in parts of Nyanza are embracing two new promising napier grass varieties. 

Named Ouma Two and South Africa — the two varieties give a yield of up to 100 tonnes per acre in a year compared to the traditional types.

Researchers have confirmed that the two species are performing better than the traditional types which have more fibre content than nutrients and prone to diseases. The new varies were developed following intense research.

In 2000, the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (Icipe) and Rothamsted Research scientists Professors Zeyaur Khan, John Pickett and Lester Wadhams observed for the first time a stunting disease in napier grass in Teso, western Kenya.

The researchers had a special interest in napier grass given that they were pioneers of the revolutionary push–pull technology, a cereal protection system that controls pest attacks.

By 2002, the team observed that the stunting was spreading rapidly in the region, affecting a quarter of Napier grass.

They took action and initiated research to find solution.

Remarkably, in 2013, the team’s labours bore fruit when two resistant cultivars passed on-farm trials, and participating farmers were given the go-ahead to multiply them for wider distribution.

At the moment, Kisii Agricultural Training College (ATC) is doing bulking after Icipe released the new double yielding and high protein content varieties. A number of farmers have already bought them for bulking or for use in their farms.

The two varieties are resistant to a bacterial disease associated with low production of the fodder in Western Kenya.

Caroline Gisera of Kisii ATC says the two varieties were developed following experiments to identify the insect that transmits the phytoplasma bacteria which causes the napier stunt disease.

 “We collected live samples of 20 different species of sucking insects associated with napier grass and reared them in cages feeding them on diseased plants to acquire the phytoplasma,” she points out.

She says the two varieties have slightly different resistance mechanisms and have been given to 15 farmers in Western.

Kisii ATC Principal Dorice Mwacha says with well drained fertile soils, the new varieties can give 100 tonnes per acre per year in regions with as little as 150mm per annum rainfall. 

Napier grass is an important fodder crop in small-scale dairy production.

A great per percentage of common napier grass varieties is roughage and carbohydrates and is also prone to pest  attacks.

Their nutritive value, especially proteins, is as low as 8.3 per cent per given mass.