Indication
It is recommended for soils of medium to low fertility. It has good tolerance to wet and waterlogged soils, being able to replace humidicola in these regions with the advantage of seeds not having dormancy and having better nutritional quality. Recommended for cattle in the breeding, rearing, and fattening phases. It can also be used for horses, provided that suitable supplementation for the species is provided.
Setaria sphacelata cv. Kazangula
Low to medium fertility, soils with drainage problems and flooded
Direct grazing
8 to 10 t/ha/year of dry matter (DM)
7 to 9%
1.20 to 1.60m
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
Perennial
Use and Management
Setaria is a pasture recommended for soils with medium to low fertility and poor drainage. Because it is tolerant to soils with excessive moisture, it has advantages over humidicola in swampy regions since its seeds do not have dormancy, ensuring faster pasture establishment, and it also has better nutritional quality. It is recommended for cattle in the breeding, rearing, and fattening phases. For feeding horses, it is recommended to provide adequate nutritional supplementation as it has a high oxalate content (+7% in dry matter), which can cause fibrous osteodystrophy, commonly known as swollen face.
Origin
It is a native ecotype of the Republic of Zambia and is widely used in South Africa for grazing and haymaking. Many setaria pastures worldwide originated from seeds distributed by CSIRO (Australia).
Morphological Characteristics
Robust plant with a large size (can reach up to 2 m). It has good tolerance to drought and moisture.
Agronomic Characteristics
It is a forage species for soils of medium to low fertility, tolerating soil moisture up to flooding. Good adaptation to cold.
