Dated: 17.3.2022 (Wednesday)
In livestock production system, the animal derives about 40 to 90% of their feed requirement from forages. The major animal grasses such as corn having good nutritive value, high yield, and high net energy are preferred for dairy cows to enhance the milk production. The yield of such grasses was mainly influenced by number of factors including environmental and cultural production costs (hybrid seed, irrigation etc). Therefore, there is demanding need by the farmers to reduce the production costs. To overcome such need the Giant King Grass (GKG) (Pennisetum purpureum) getting much attention throughout the world in past few decades. The GKG is a fast-growing, high-yield grass that grows under a variety of soil conditions. It is propagated vegetatively and, with sufficient rain or irrigation, can grow 15 to 18 feet high in six months. It is a new type of energy crop which is fast growing, high yield and hybrid grass with perennial character and can be harvested several times a year. Best suited for tropical and subtropical regions with 12 months growing season with yield of 167 tons per acre and excellent source of energy of 4400 kcal per kg at full maturity which is best suited for milk producing cows. As an application purpose the GKG is also recommended for direct combustion in electric power/ heat/ steam plant or GKG pellets for co-firing along with coal to reduce the cost of coal in different industries such as in Poultry, the briquettes for broilers.
The Ziauddin University, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences for the first time organized a workshop to introduce the GKG value by growing and 1st cultivation of after 2 months at ZU field, where our guest speaker Dr. Amir Amanullah Solangi, joined who is an expert and a consultant of Animal Nutrition. The aim of this workshop is, to aware the students by Professionals to the growing need of animal feed, GKG nutritive value and demanding value of GKG of developing countries. Pakistan is an agriculture country where livestock needs much attention in different aspects to efficiently improve the yield. The GKG is best suited in Pakistani conditions and needed much awareness at our research institutes and at farms to explore the values that can be best suited for our farmers.
