Digitaria horizontalis Willd (Harkiya) An Alternative Fodder for Small and Large Ruminants in Northern Nigeria

Soilless plant cultivation is the current global research focus due to decreasing land space and increasing human population. This study evaluated a simple modified hydroponic system for the production of Digitaria horizontalis Willd, as forage feed supplement. Seeds of the plant were sterilized with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite, rinsed with distilled water and broadcast on the sawdust in a modified Ebb and Flow method. The seeds were irrigated with 1.0 L of Cooper’s nutrient solution before germination while the sprouts were watered manually twice daily for fourteen (14) days with 500ml nutrient solution at 0.5 dS m1 and later raised to 1.0 dS m-1 at controlled pH. Similar experiments were conducted using Hoagland and Murashige and Skoog nutrient media. A control experimental set up was irrigated with distilled water. The plant did not show significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) when grown under different nutrient formulations with regards to germination days. However, plant height, number of leaves and leaf area index showed significant difference from Murashige and Skoog nutrient formulations. Number of tillers and total chlorophyll content also significantly differ under the three nutrient formulations. The three nutrient formulations performed better than the control experiment in all the parameters tested. The result of this findings suggests that Digitaria horizontalis Willd could be of great potential source of fodder to be exploited as a fodder supplement to enhance large and small ruminant performance using suitable nutrient formulation (hydroponics).