KIKUYU-GRASS IN AUCKLAND PROVINCE.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXX, Issue 1, 20 January 1925, Page 28

KIKUYU-GRASS IN AUCKLAND PROVINCE.

COMPARISON WITH PASPALUM

A. G. ELLIOTT,

Department of Agriculture, Auckland.

Kikuyu-grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) is a native of the Belgian Congo, and is now found generally in the African provinces. In Rhodesia it is one of the principal grasses, and is used in both pastures .and playing-fields. The Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales for May, 1921, published a very comprehensive account of kikuyu, by J. N. Whiffet, under the name of Pennisetum longistylum, but it was later established by E. R. Breakwell that the species mentioned was really clandestinum. In his recently published book, “ The Grasses .and Fodder Plants of New South Wales/' Breakwell gives the history .and quality of kikuyu both under Australian and African conditions.

The longistylum species was noticed over ten years ago by Mr. E. M. Ellin, growing vigorously on the sides-of the Kiripaka Road, near Whangarei. Here it produces a quantity of coarse feed in the summer months, which even travelling stock will not touch. The grass is spreading both by seed and by surface and underground runners, but it is of practically no economic value, and may be classed among the so-called weed grasses. True kikuyu may be readily distinguished from the longistylum species not only by the quantity of feed produced, but also by the fact that while the former produces only a very reduced form of inflorescence and sets no seed, the latter has a good flowering-head and also seeds. Pennisetum longistylum was introduced here many years ago by a local nurseryman, Mr. David Hay,

and it has also been identified growing in Victoria Avenue, Auckland. At the Ruakura Farm of Instruction the weed grass was also tried, Tut its small economic value was soon demonstrated wherever it was grown. Kikuyu is a quick grower, spreading rapidly by means of surface and underground runners and an extensive root-system. It has the twitch habit of growth, and by this rapid production of new plants, especially from those roots which occur at the nodes on the surface runners, soon covers a large area. Fig. 1 shows these features and the

quantity of leafage thrown by this grass. In the issues of this Journal for May and October, 1921, December, 1922, and November, 1923, preliminary reports were given on results obtained with kikuyu at Albany and Puwera experimental areas. INTRODUCTION AND TRIALS AT ALBANY. Cuttings of kikuyu were introduced into New Zealand from Rhodesia by Mr. M. O’Brien,- who was then on the- staff of the Agriculture Department, at Wellington, and they were planted out at the Albany Experimental Area, near Auckland, in the spring of 1920. In a few weeks the plants were well established. A number of farmers who visited the area were so favourably impressed with the progress or the grass in the first season that they asked to be supplied with roots for trial. The roots were planted out in lows 3 ft. apart and 3 ft. between the rows, but during the first season this intervening area was covered by the runners. A small dressing of superphosphate was applied at planting, and on this and a larger plot which was laid down the next season an autumn top-dressing of superphosphate and basic slag Was regularly applied with good results. Since it does not set seed the only means of propagating kikuyu is by planting of roots, and owing to lack. of space, which precluded the carrying-out of more extensive. trials at Albany, this centre is now used mainly for the distribution of roots to interested farmers who apply for them. • PUWERA EXPERIMENTS. Roots forwarded from the Albany plot were planted out at Puwera, with a small amount of superphosphate, during November, 1920,.and, as at Albany, the plants soon became well established. Visitors invariably expressed surprise at the vigorous growth of the kikuyu on this class of soil, which is typical of the stiff “ pipeclay ” -land. Experience at Albany had shown that, as with paspalum, the kikuyu becomes rootbound, and also requires top-dressing where it is not grazed by stock. In the second season at Puwera an area in the nursery was laid down with Lodino clover and kikuyu, and another with Lotus major, white clover, and kikuyu. The result was striking, since there was 'a remarkable improvement in the quality of the feed thrown by the kikuyu, which was very appreciably improved by the association with legumes. Both plots were grazed by .a horse, and later cut for hay, which was of good quality and relished by stock. In experiments conducted at Kenya, British East Africa, clovers sown with kikuyu were entirely crowded out, and were only able to show up when the grass sward had been broken up. FEEDING-TRIALS. " - In September, 1922, an area of one acre was planted at Puwera with kikuyu roots, and later surface-sown with a mixture of red clover, white clover,, and Lotus major. A good take resulted, and the whole area between the rows was well covered after the first season. This area throws a large quantity of succulent feed, most of which is produced between the months January to April. Figs. 2 and 3 show steers grazing on the plot, and give an indication of the close sward obtained with the kikuyu, Lotus major,'* and clovers. The cattle keep it closely grazed, and the area' is very free from weeds, which

cannot compete with the grass. This plot has been top-dressed each season. In July, 1923, it received a mixture of 3 cwt. per acre of equal parts of superphosphate and basic slag, and in June this year superphosphate was applied at the same rate per acre. The results obtained have been gained by quite normal treatment in regard to stocking and top-dressing, and the cattle turned in on the kikuyu area have evidently found the pasture very palatable.

WINTER GROWTH.

In order to get the best return from kikuyu it must be top-dressed. The two plots previously mentioned, in the nursery at Puwera, were top-dressed with superphosphate at the rate of 3 cwt. per acre in June, 1923. They were cut for hay in February of the present year, and later top-dressed in the autumn with the same fertilizer at the same acre rate. Fig. 4, the photograph for which was secured at the end of . July, shows the vigorous winter growth of the kikuyu, which is usually regarded as a summer grass. This-growth of the grass and the associated legumes is undoubtedly influenced by the phosphate top-dressing. When the cold, wet winter which was experienced at Puwera this year is taken into account it is evident

that the result gained was in no way ■ due ' to favourable climatic conditions. From experience gained since 1920 kikuyu had been of use only as a summer grass, having proved ..to .be ~ a good droughtresister and doing well on the. poorer soils where English grasses could not be established.. Its season; extending from October to May, was against its general use on dairy farms ; but if the winter growth obtained this' year at Puwera can be relied on. the value of kikuyu for North Auckland conditions will be greatly increased.. ; Farmers' . experience bears this out. / ? ■ " ■ - , - ■ I " . COMPARISON WITH PASPALUM. ' ' . " ’. . ~ At Puwera a further area of an acre was laid down in paspalum and white clover near the kikuyu area, and a third plot with paspalum

and cow-grass. The cattle have grazed these as well as the kikuyu plot, but have shown no very decided preference for any one plot.. Kikuyu was much quicker and easier to establish than was paspalum, which at Puwera usually takes two years to become a good pasturegrass. . The main requirement in North Auckland, apart from winter feed, is to provide sufficient grass and supplementary feed, to carry dairy cows and other stock over the usually dry months of December, January, and February, and kikuyu was tested with this fact, among others, in view. Previously paspalum had provided in most cases the only feed for the dry period, and it was often the only sign of green to be seen at the time. The short season of paspalum, even under topdressed conditions, is a very serious objection, unless it is kept well under control and used as a summer and autumn grass only. On the majority of farms it is not controlled at all, and yet for practically eight months of the year it does not produce succulent feed. In the Kaitaia district, in many cases, farmers have practised fogging instead of haymaking. Under this method the stock are turned in on the dry paspalum, which is often over 8 ft. high, and left to chew up the dried stalks and very small amount of short leaves. Under Puwera conditions kikuyu is quite' as nutritious as paspalum, and in addition to this it has a longer growing-period There is extra trouble involved in laying down an area in kikuyu, • since roots must be either ploughed in or planted by hand, while in the case of paspalum seed (the average germination of which is about .30 per cent.) is usually sown. On the other hand, kikuyu is much quicker to establish than is paspalum, and also there is no danger of it spreading all over the farm by means of seed distributed in various ways by animals. In laying down a field in what is later intended to be a pasture consisting mainly of paspalum one of two methods is usually adopted. The most successful is to sow the paspalum-seed in the spring, together with -clovers and' Lotus major, and in this way quite a good sward is obtained for the second season. This method has proved very successful at Albany Experimental Area. Under the second method paspalum-seed is included in an autumn-sown mixture containing temporary and permanent elements, both of which must be used in just sufficient quantity to provide early feed and cover the ground, but not to depress the growth of the paspalum seedlings.' ■ Many areas intended for paspalum pastures in North Auckland have never done well owing entirely to the fact that too much Italian rye-grass was included in the mixture, and this strong temporary element crowded out the paspalum seedlings, which do not appear until the spring. Thus the special paspalum pasture was never a success on such areas, as subsequent top-dressing only assisted the more permanent elements, and also brought along such weed grasses and weeds which came in after the temporary grasses had run out. ■ ■ To sum up the comparison, results to date show that kikuyu, under North Auckland conditions, produces a quantity of feed which is quite equal to that yielded by paspalum, and that it has a longer growingperiod than the latter. Its ability to flourish on the poor clay hills where weeds cannot compete with it is also another advantage kikuyu has over paspalum, while the two points previously referred namely', its quick establishment and seedless habit —should also be kept in mind.

farmers’ trials

During the last four years roots of kikuyu have. been sent out to farmers who applied for them, and over ninety lots of cuttings have been distributed in this manner. Each, season reports have been sent in by most of these men, and since the climate over the area from Kaitaia to Taumarunui varies a good deal, so the successes and failures with the grass have alternated. As would only be expected with a grass introduced from a tropical country, kikuyu did best under the warm conditions of North Auckland. In most places in South Auckland where it was tried, although producing feed by the middle of the first summer, it never 'recovered from the frosts. The majority of farmers in the northern districts who have tried kikuyu are -very pleased with it, and they report that stock does well on the grass. .In its second and third season many farmers had secured enough cuttings from their original supply to plant out a large area, and even now requests are received from farmers who wish to put down areas of from 5 to io acres. Where it was tried in cultivated ground, however, the kikuyu soon became quite a menace to the other plants in the vicinity, and it was very difficult to eradicate. . In two seasons a few roots, planted at a distance of 3 ft. apart, had covered an area 15 ft. long by 6 ft. wide. From its habit of growth one would expect to find this result, so that kikuyu should never be planted on such ground, but should be used on the poorer classes of soil where other grasses will not hold. On poor clay hills, where farmers report that it can be established, kikuyu should do well and throw a quantity of good feed, since the surface-sowing of Lotus major and white clover is an easy matter. Already on this class of country two species of Lotus occur naturally, and, as is shown at Puwera, the association of these with kikuyu gives a good sward. . EXPERIENCE IN OTHER COUNTRIES. In the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales for May, 1921, Whittet gives a good account of the trials with kikuyu in New South Wales, and also describes feeding-experiments which were carried out at Hawkesbury Agricultural College. In these latter trials kikuyu was found to be next to Hungarian brome in palatability, but was ahead of both timothy and cocksfoot. . In this determination the grasses were cut and fed green to dairy cows for a certain period. Trials generally in New South Wales and Western Australia show that kikuyu does well in a variety of soils and climatic conditions, and produces most of its feed in the summer months. In the winter it lies dormant, but has proved to be a good drought-resister in summer. Roots were sent to Fiji from the Albany Experimental Area ; reports show that the kikuyu is doing well on dairy farms, and it is expected that if the present successful sward can be maintained , kikuyu will become one of the most important grasses there. Cuttings of roots were also forwarded to the Experiment Station at Honolulu, and the. first report stated that the grass had become well established there. CONCLUSIONS.

Kikuyu does well under the soil and climatic conditions of a great part of the Auckland Province, and is particularly suited to the Northern

Peninsula. Although most of the palatable feed is thrown between the months of December and April, by top-dressing with a phosphatic fertilizer a succulent winter growth is produced. The best results obtained from kikuyu have been . gained where it has been used in association with a legume, white clover and Lotus major being the two most commonly sown. This pasture can be grazed, cut and fed green, or made into hay, which stock relish. Kikuyu stands drought well, and in addition to this it is able to successfully compete against young fern and manuka which come in on areas where reversion is taking place. Such reversion is common in North Auckland, and kikuyu may be an important factor in bringing what is now waste land into a state of production. If planted out in the spring the grass soon becomes well established and spreads rapidly. Once stock graze over these now useless areas .the soil would be improved, the growth of fern and manuka checked, and the spread of the kikuyu assisted by . the action of. droppings. Under the conditions of Auckland Province kikuyu should be . planted out only on such areas as cannot carry English grasses, As it is easily propagated from a small supply of roots the grass can in a few seasons be laid down wherever desired on the farm. Further experiments in connection with grazing and top-dressing kikuyu are being carried out at Puwera this season. A large number of applications have been also received from farmers who wish to give the grass a trial this spring. Roots are distributed free in these cases, and reports are obtained from time to time from the farmers as to the value of the grass in their particular districts. . 'The conclusions drawn must be regarded as tentative for the present. Further results will be published after the trials have been continued over several seasons.

INVENTIONS OF AGRICULTURAL INTEREST.

Applications for patents, published with abridged specifications in the New Zealand Patent Office Journal from 13th November to 17th December, 1924, include the following of agricultural interest : — ' ' ■ ■ No. 49657: Fertilizer; A. A. Adams, Auckland. No. 50017: Milkingmachine measuring attachment ; G. Harvey, ■ Rata. No. 50446 : Meat, fruit, and vegetables preservation ; J. Cuthbertson, London, England. No. 50897: Ploughshare; C. H. Ensor, Rangiora. No. 51136: Plough; P. R. Spurr, Waitara. No. 51197: Plough-seat; W. Y. Cunningham, Gore. ■ No. 52522 Dehorning-machine ; P. J. Abraham, Ballygowan, Ireland. No. 51522: Creamcooler ; J. M. McDonald, Te Puke. No. 51263 : Sheep-shearing machine adapterplate ; F. G. W. Bristow, Auckland. No. 51344 : Driving-gear for separators ; Massey-Harris Co., Ltd., Toronto. No. 52463 : Wool-pack gripper; J. Kinlock, Timaru. No. 52737 : Shearing-machine hand-piece tension-distributing means; C. H. Davis,'Inverell, N.S.W. No. 52738: Hoe or seed-drill boot ; C. Hunt, Beulah West, Vic. . No. 52792 : Harrow-link connection ; S. J. Harding, Hinuera. No. 50627: Fruit-case; J. Brown, Birkdale. No. 51107 : Incubator tray ; ' H. J. C. Williams, Christchurch. No. 51301 : Milk-churn closure; E. Stanley, London, Eng. No. 51383 : Milking-machine air-admission device ; D. A. Hawken, Maunu. No. 52891 : Butter-making process ; Milk Oil Corporation, Wilmington, U.S.A. No. 53000 : Rabbit-trap; J. Murray, Canberra, N.S.W. Copy of full specifications and drawings in respect of any of the above may be obtained from the Registrar of Patents, Wellington. Price, is.