Chemical Composition and In-vitro Evaluation of two varieties of Seteria (Seteria Sphacelata) Harvested at Different Stages of Growth

A study was conducted to assess the proximate composition, cell wall constituents and invitro digestibility of seteria (Seteria sphacelata) fodder harvested at three stages of growth. Two varieties (Kazungula and PSS-1) were evaluated at 60, 90, 120 days of harvesting. The invitro DM and OM digestibility (IVDMD and IVOMD) decreased significantly (P<0.01) from 60 to 120 days of harvesting and differed significantly between varieties. Based on these results, the Kazungula variety ranks higher than PSS-1 variety. The results indicate that considerable variation exists in chemical composition and digestibility of nutrients in the two varieties of Seteria fodder grown even under similar environmental conditions. Harvesting at 60 days is better than harvesting 90 and 120 days in terms of nutrient availability and economic benefits.