Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands

Koech Oscar Kipchirchir; Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi; Mureithi Stephen Mwangi; Karuku George Njomo; Wanjogu Raphael

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18

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Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands

Koech Oscar Kipchirchir, Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi, Mureithi Stephen Mwangi, Karuku George Njomo, Wanjogu Raphael

Published in American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 3, Issue 5)

Received: 10 September 2015 Accepted: 30 September 2015 Published: 14 November 2015

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Abstract

This study evaluated six grass species in terms of water stress responses by visual quality and living ground cover attributes and the recovery responses post water stress grown at 80, 50, 30% field capacity soil moisture contents. The grass species evaluated were Chloris roxburghiana, Eragrostis superba, Enteropogon macrostachyus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, and Sorghum sudanense. The grasses demonstrated varied levels of water stress tolerance as evaluated by quality ratings based on colour (greenness) and uniformity of colour, leaf firing, living matter and wilting signs. All species declined in visual quality rating with prolonged water stress treatment with exception of Sorghum sudanense and Cenchrus ciliaris that had better quality ratings of six after 42 days water stress period. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris had accelerated recovery in quality, attaining a visual rating of eight at 21 days of water stress period. The three soil moisture content treatments had higher quality ratings than rainfed conditions which represented water deficit. Sorghum sudanense and Chloris gayana had higher quality ratings and water use efficiency under rainfed compared to the other species. All the grasses showed higher living ground cover greater than 40% at recovery period of 28 days, when irrigation was resumed at the prescribed level, and attained living cover of over 60% by day 42. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris were able to withstand water stress longer and had also a quick recovery among the six grasses. These three species are recommended for pasture establishment in semi-arid lands where water supply uncertainties exist, owing to their high tolerance to water stress.

Published in	American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry (Volume 3, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18
Page(s)	222-229
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Drought Tolerance, Water Stress Tolerance, Range Grasses, Pasture Irrigation, Kenya

References

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APA Style

Koech Oscar Kipchirchir, Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi, Mureithi Stephen Mwangi, Karuku George Njomo, Wanjogu Raphael. (2015). Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 3(5), 222-229. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18

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ACS Style

Koech Oscar Kipchirchir; Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi; Mureithi Stephen Mwangi; Karuku George Njomo; Wanjogu Raphael. Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands. Am. J. Agric. For. 2015, 3(5), 222-229. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18

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AMA Style

Koech Oscar Kipchirchir, Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi, Mureithi Stephen Mwangi, Karuku George Njomo, Wanjogu Raphael. Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands. Am J Agric For. 2015;3(5):222-229. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18

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@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18,
  author = {Koech Oscar Kipchirchir and Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi and Mureithi Stephen Mwangi and Karuku George Njomo and Wanjogu Raphael},
  title = {Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {3},
  number = {5},
  pages = {222-229},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20150305.18},
  abstract = {This study evaluated six grass species in terms of water stress responses by visual quality and living ground cover attributes and the recovery responses post water stress grown at 80, 50, 30% field capacity soil moisture contents. The grass species evaluated were Chloris roxburghiana, Eragrostis superba, Enteropogon macrostachyus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, and Sorghum sudanense. The grasses demonstrated varied levels of water stress tolerance as evaluated by quality ratings based on colour (greenness) and uniformity of colour, leaf firing, living matter and wilting signs. All species declined in visual quality rating with prolonged water stress treatment with exception of Sorghum sudanense and Cenchrus ciliaris that had better quality ratings of six after 42 days water stress period. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris had accelerated recovery in quality, attaining a visual rating of eight at 21 days of water stress period. The three soil moisture content treatments had higher quality ratings than rainfed conditions which represented water deficit. Sorghum sudanense and Chloris gayana had higher quality ratings and water use efficiency under rainfed compared to the other species. All the grasses showed higher living ground cover greater than 40% at recovery period of 28 days, when irrigation was resumed at the prescribed level, and attained living cover of over 60% by day 42. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris were able to withstand water stress longer and had also a quick recovery among the six grasses. These three species are recommended for pasture establishment in semi-arid lands where water supply uncertainties exist, owing to their high tolerance to water stress.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands
AU  - Koech Oscar Kipchirchir
AU  - Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi
AU  - Mureithi Stephen Mwangi
AU  - Karuku George Njomo
AU  - Wanjogu Raphael
Y1  - 2015/11/14
PY  - 2015
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18
T2  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP  - 222
EP  - 229
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8591
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18
AB  - This study evaluated six grass species in terms of water stress responses by visual quality and living ground cover attributes and the recovery responses post water stress grown at 80, 50, 30% field capacity soil moisture contents. The grass species evaluated were Chloris roxburghiana, Eragrostis superba, Enteropogon macrostachyus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, and Sorghum sudanense. The grasses demonstrated varied levels of water stress tolerance as evaluated by quality ratings based on colour (greenness) and uniformity of colour, leaf firing, living matter and wilting signs. All species declined in visual quality rating with prolonged water stress treatment with exception of Sorghum sudanense and Cenchrus ciliaris that had better quality ratings of six after 42 days water stress period. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris had accelerated recovery in quality, attaining a visual rating of eight at 21 days of water stress period. The three soil moisture content treatments had higher quality ratings than rainfed conditions which represented water deficit. Sorghum sudanense and Chloris gayana had higher quality ratings and water use efficiency under rainfed compared to the other species. All the grasses showed higher living ground cover greater than 40% at recovery period of 28 days, when irrigation was resumed at the prescribed level, and attained living cover of over 60% by day 42. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris were able to withstand water stress longer and had also a quick recovery among the six grasses. These three species are recommended for pasture establishment in semi-arid lands where water supply uncertainties exist, owing to their high tolerance to water stress.
VL  - 3
IS  - 5
ER  -

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Author Information

Koech Oscar Kipchirchir

Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi

Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Mureithi Stephen Mwangi

Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Karuku George Njomo

Department of Land Resource Management and Agricultural Technology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Wanjogu Raphael

National Irrigation Board, Mwea Irrigation Agricultural Development (MIAD) Centre, WANGURU, Kenya

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Koech Oscar Kipchirchir, Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi, Mureithi Stephen Mwangi, Karuku George Njomo, Wanjogu Raphael. (2015). Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands. American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 3(5), 222-229. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18

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ACS Style

Koech Oscar Kipchirchir; Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi; Mureithi Stephen Mwangi; Karuku George Njomo; Wanjogu Raphael. Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands. Am. J. Agric. For. 2015, 3(5), 222-229. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18

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AMA Style

Koech Oscar Kipchirchir, Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi, Mureithi Stephen Mwangi, Karuku George Njomo, Wanjogu Raphael. Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands. Am J Agric For. 2015;3(5):222-229. doi: 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18,
  author = {Koech Oscar Kipchirchir and Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi and Mureithi Stephen Mwangi and Karuku George Njomo and Wanjogu Raphael},
  title = {Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands},
  journal = {American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry},
  volume = {3},
  number = {5},
  pages = {222-229},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajaf.20150305.18},
  abstract = {This study evaluated six grass species in terms of water stress responses by visual quality and living ground cover attributes and the recovery responses post water stress grown at 80, 50, 30% field capacity soil moisture contents. The grass species evaluated were Chloris roxburghiana, Eragrostis superba, Enteropogon macrostachyus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, and Sorghum sudanense. The grasses demonstrated varied levels of water stress tolerance as evaluated by quality ratings based on colour (greenness) and uniformity of colour, leaf firing, living matter and wilting signs. All species declined in visual quality rating with prolonged water stress treatment with exception of Sorghum sudanense and Cenchrus ciliaris that had better quality ratings of six after 42 days water stress period. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris had accelerated recovery in quality, attaining a visual rating of eight at 21 days of water stress period. The three soil moisture content treatments had higher quality ratings than rainfed conditions which represented water deficit. Sorghum sudanense and Chloris gayana had higher quality ratings and water use efficiency under rainfed compared to the other species. All the grasses showed higher living ground cover greater than 40% at recovery period of 28 days, when irrigation was resumed at the prescribed level, and attained living cover of over 60% by day 42. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris were able to withstand water stress longer and had also a quick recovery among the six grasses. These three species are recommended for pasture establishment in semi-arid lands where water supply uncertainties exist, owing to their high tolerance to water stress.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Water Stress Tolerance of Six Rangeland Grasses in the Kenyan Semi-arid Rangelands
AU  - Koech Oscar Kipchirchir
AU  - Kinuthia Robinson Ngugi
AU  - Mureithi Stephen Mwangi
AU  - Karuku George Njomo
AU  - Wanjogu Raphael
Y1  - 2015/11/14
PY  - 2015
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18
T2  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JF  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
JO  - American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry
SP  - 222
EP  - 229
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8591
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajaf.20150305.18
AB  - This study evaluated six grass species in terms of water stress responses by visual quality and living ground cover attributes and the recovery responses post water stress grown at 80, 50, 30% field capacity soil moisture contents. The grass species evaluated were Chloris roxburghiana, Eragrostis superba, Enteropogon macrostachyus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, and Sorghum sudanense. The grasses demonstrated varied levels of water stress tolerance as evaluated by quality ratings based on colour (greenness) and uniformity of colour, leaf firing, living matter and wilting signs. All species declined in visual quality rating with prolonged water stress treatment with exception of Sorghum sudanense and Cenchrus ciliaris that had better quality ratings of six after 42 days water stress period. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris had accelerated recovery in quality, attaining a visual rating of eight at 21 days of water stress period. The three soil moisture content treatments had higher quality ratings than rainfed conditions which represented water deficit. Sorghum sudanense and Chloris gayana had higher quality ratings and water use efficiency under rainfed compared to the other species. All the grasses showed higher living ground cover greater than 40% at recovery period of 28 days, when irrigation was resumed at the prescribed level, and attained living cover of over 60% by day 42. Sorghum sudanense, Chloris gayana and Cenchrus ciliaris were able to withstand water stress longer and had also a quick recovery among the six grasses. These three species are recommended for pasture establishment in semi-arid lands where water supply uncertainties exist, owing to their high tolerance to water stress.
VL  - 3
IS  - 5
ER  -

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