Comparison of growth and development performance of forage grasses under water stress in Central and Northern Benin

One of the major challenges in ruminant livestock farming in tropical Africa is feeding, particularly during the dry season. An alternative for forage supply during the dry season could be the use of forage plants adapted to extreme climatic conditions. A thorough understanding of the drought resistance capabilities of forage plants will therefore play a crucial role in efforts to ensure sufficient and resilient forage production in response to climate change. Specific objectives of the study were (i) to evaluate the growth performance of Brachiaria spp and Panicum maximum accessions in farmer-managed environments in central and northern Bénin, and (ii) to compare the regrowth performance of Brachiaria spp and Panicum maximum accessions at the end of the dry season in central and northern Benin. The study was carried out in farmer-managed environments with agro-pastoralists in Minifi (Dassa-Zoumé) and Kassakou (Kandi). A randomized complete block design with 3 blocks per site and 11 accessions (7 Brachiaria spp accessions and 4 Panicum maximum accessions) arranged randomly was adopted. The results showed that the performance of Brachiaria spp and Panicum maximum accessions differed regardless of the season, providing opportunities for selection. The accessions that stood out during the dry season for their good relative performance were Brachiaria hybrid cv. Mulato 2 and Panicum maximum cv. C1 in Minifi. In contrast, in Kassakou, the selected cultivars were Brachiaria decumbens cv. Basilisk and Panicum maximum cv. Mombasa. These accessions can be used to promote large-scale forage plots.