Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Local name: Guinea grass, Green panic

It  is  a  well  known  perennial  grass  adapted  to tropical regions and is high yielding. The grass is a tall, densely tuffed perennial with numerous shoots arising from short, rhizomes. A full grown plant attains a height of 1.8-2.7 m under favourable conditions. The yield is about 120-150 tonnes of green forage in 4-5 cuttings. It is maintenance quality roughage containing 8-10% protein under ideal conditions and is propagated by roots.

Nutritive value

Guinea grass can be grown along water channels where the grass besides giving additional fodder. It normally contains 8-12% crude protein and 31% crude fibre

Toxicity

Most of the panicum varieties contain hepatotoxins which may cause secondary photosensitization. In that case, the affected animals may be fed on chlorophyll free diet and kept in darkness for a few days till recovery.