Comparative Residual Effects of Some Animal Manure on the .... COMPARATIVE RESIDUAL EFFECTS OF SOME ANIMAL MANURE ON THE NUTRITIVE QUALITY OF THREE TROPICAL GRASSES *J.A. Olanite, I.A. Ewetola, O.S. Onifade, O.A. Oni, P.A. Dele and O.T. Sangodele Department of Pasture and Range Management, Federal University of Agriculture, P.M.B. 2240, Abeokuta, Nigeria E-mail: jimolanite@yahoo.com (*Corresponding Author) Abstract: A study was conducted at the Research Farm, College of Animal Science and Livestock Production, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria to determine the comparative effects of four animal manures on the nutritional quality of Panicum maximum (Ntchisi), P. maximum (unimproved local variety) and Brachiaria decumbens three years after application. Cattle, sheep/goat, swine and poultry manures, which were allotted to main plot, were applied to the grasses planted at 0.5m x 0.5m spacing as sub plot with zero manure as control treatment in year 2009. The grasses were cut back to a height of 15cm above the soil in year 2011 followed by harvesting of two random quadrat samples of eight- week regrowth in the early (ERS) and mid-rainy (MRS) seasons for determination of the nutrient composition, in vitro gas production (IVGP) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). The crude protein (CP) values for the ERS and MRS ranged from 8.09-8.71 and 8.25-8.76 % respectively and was highest (P<0.05) for P. maximum (Ntchisi) fertilized with poultry manure for both seasons. The dry matter (DM) and ether extract (EE) values during the ERS were higher (P<0.05) for B. decumbens and P. maximum (Ntchisi) fertilized with cattle manure while the unfertilized B. decumbens and P. maximum (Ntchisi) respectively recorded higher and lower values for acid detergent lignin (ADL). The P. maximum (local) treated with small ruminant manure and B. decumbens under the control treatment respectively recorded higher values for cellulose and hemicellulose components during the ERS. The organic matter digestibility (OMD), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), metabolizable energy (ME) and IVDMD were significantly affected by manure type and grass species. The IVGP values for ERS was higher for the unfertilized P. maximum (Ntchisi) from 3 to 12 hours while the same grass fertilized with poultry manure recorded the higher values from 60 to 72 hours of incubation. It was concluded that poultry manure application to P. maximum (Ntchisi) holds promise for improved pasture production. Keywords: Comparative, animal manures, chemical composition, Panicum maximum and Brachiaria decumbens. Introduction Application of mineral fertilizers to improve nutrient element availability in the soil for enhanced crop yield is a major practice by farmers all over the world (Ojeniyi, 1990). In many sub-Saharan African countries, however, fertilizers are expensive and inefficient distribution systems often make them unavailable to farmers. Indiscriminate use of fertilizers International Journal of Science, Environment ISSN 2278-3687 (O) and Technology, Vol. 3, No 3, 2014, 1131 – 1149 Received May 10, 2014 * Published June 2, 2014 * www.ijset.net