Indication
Forage crop with excellent palatability and nutritional quality, recommended for breeding, rearing, and fattening cattle, as well as for milk production. It can also be consumed by horses and sheep. It is demanding in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), especially during the establishment phase. Monitoring fertility through analysis is recommended, particularly applying nitrogen as a top dressing to maintain forage productivity.
Megathyrsus maximum cv. Tanzânia-I
Panicum maximum cv. Tanzânia-I
High fertility
Direct grazing, hay, and silage
20 to 26 t/ha/year of dry matter (DM)
12 to 16%
Up to 1.60m
Excellent
Excellent
Medium
High
Perennial
Origin
It was introduced in Brazil by EMBRAPA. Collected in 1969 in Korogwe, Tanzania (Africa) by ORSTOM (French Institute of Scientific Research for Development in Cooperation). It was also evaluated beyond Brazil, in Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia.
Agronomic Characteristics
It is a forage species demanding in soil fertility, presenting thinner stems that facilitate its management.
Use and Management
Tanzania is a forage recommended for highly fertile, corrected, and fertilized soils. It is demanding in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), especially during the establishment phase. We recommend monitoring soil fertility through analysis, particularly applying nitrogen as a topdressing to maintain forage productivity. It is a variety of excellent palatability and nutritional quality, suitable for the entire production cycle of meat, milk, as well as for horses, sheep, and goats. In a three-year grazing experiment, it outperformed the Tobiata and Coloniao cultivars, both in gain per animal and gain per area. The average daily gain per head was 720 g in the rainy season and 240 g in the dry season. In corrected and fertilized areas, it has shown good acceptability by calves, with weight gains superior to those obtained with Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu. The best results are obtained in rotated pastures, with 1 to 5 days of grazing and 25 to 30 days of rest during the rainy season, and 45 to 50 days in winter. In several experiments, the stocking rate exceeded 4.0 AU/ha. It can be used by cattle for breeding, rearing, fattening, and milk production. It can also be consumed by horses, goats, and sheep.
Morphological Characteristics
It is a tufted plant with an annual cycle, with an average height of 1.3m, decumbent leaves with an average width of 2.6cm. Blades and sheaths are glabrous, without waxy coating. The stems are slightly purplish. The inflorescences are panicle-type, with long primary branches, and secondary branches only long at the base. The spikelets are purplish, glabrous, and evenly distributed. The verticil is glabrous.
