FORAGE BIOMASS YIELD PERFORMANCE OF RHODES GRASS (Chloris gayana) ACCESSIONS IN BENISHNGUL-GUMUZ REGION OF WESTERN ETHIOPIA

The experiment was conducted at Kamashi and Assosa forage research stations of Assosa Agricultural Research Center to evaluate the forage yield performance of five chloris gayana accessions under low and mid-altitude agro-ecologies. Kamashi and Assosa were representing low and mid-altitude agro-ecologies respectively. The study was conducted in randomized complete block design with three replications. Plant height at forage harvesting, days to forage harvest, forage dry matter yield, and leaf to stem ratio were significantly (P < 0.001) different among the testing agro-ecologies. The highest plant height at forage harvesting and forage dry matter yield was obtained from Kamashi and leaf to stem ratio from Assosa testing environment. Genotype was significantly (P < 0.001) affected plant height, days to forage harvest, and leaf to stem ratio. Plant height was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the interaction of genotype and environment. The result of a combined analysis indicated that the days to forage harvest was significantly (P < 0.001) affected by genotype. While days to forage harvest was significantly (P < 0.001) different among the tested genotypes at both testing environment and C. gayana cv., massaba, was early maturing than the others tested Chloris gyana accessions at both locations. In conclusion the plant height, dry matter yield, leaf to stem ratio and days to maturity of C. gayana is affected by agro-ecology.