A REVIEW OF IMPROVED FORAGE GRASSES IN ZIMBABWE (PASTOS MEJORADOS EN ZIMBABWE: UNA REVISIÓN)

SUMMARY The shortage of feed particularly during the dry season is one of the major factors limiting livestock productivity in Zimbabwe. Improved grasses show great potential to alleviate this problem. In contrast to forage legumes, improved grasses are generally bulky and high yielding crops with high residual soil fertility utilisation capacity and broad environmental adaptation. There is strong need to continuously search for high yielding, climatically and edaphically adapted grasses that respond to existing and evolving constraints as well as changing demands and opportunities to increase feed supply for livestock especially during the dry season, under different utilisation systems. This paper reviews the history of research on selection and adoption of improved grasses for improving rangeland and livestock productivity in Zimbabwe and makes suggestions about future work. In Zimbabwe, a number of key genera of grass species with broad adaptation to environmental stresses, and high feed quality have been identified. It was suggested that, the selection of improved grasses should continue, with collaborative research on multi-locations under various utilisation systems using farmer participatory methods to ensure long-term and widespread adoption of forage technologies in Zimbabwe.