Kikuyu Yield Estimation

Kikuyu, Pennisetum clandestinum, native to the East African highlands, has become an important pasture grass providing palatable and highly nutritious material. Kikuyu is essentially a summer pasture (i.e. October – March) which requires a MAP of > 800 mm. It thrives best where MAT < 17 degree Celsius (Smith, 1998). Kikuyu is a relatively shallow rooted plant, extracting soil water to only 0.3 m (Smith, 1998).

Dry matter yield of kikuyu may be estimated by Smith (1994) rule-based approach (cf. first shaded box) using the effective rainfall for the summer months October to March in conjunction with accumulated summer month heat units (base 10 degree Celsius), and assuming that base fertilizer levels have been brought up by addition of phosphates and potassium and that 250kg nitrogen per ha has been applied.