Growth, nutrient accumulation and genetic variability of Tithonia diversifolia provenances and agroforestry species as affected by soil and phosphorus fertilization in western Kenya

An evaluation of Tithonia diversiolia and Sapium ellipticum as supplement fodder for Ruminants Studies were carried out to investigate the potential of Tithonia di versifolia (Tithonia) and Sapium ellipticum (Sapium), local livestock fodder species, grown in Eastern, Central, Coastal and Western provinces of Kenya. Fodder from the two species was harvested, dried into hay under shade and their nutritional potential assessed at the KARI Regional Centre, Embu, Kenya. The effects of shade and sun on stem height, leaf to stem ratio and dry matter yields (Biomass production) of the two fodder species was determined. Dry matter yields for Tithonia at different cutting intervals ranged from 5.9 to 58.9 tonnes/ha for plots under the shade and from 3.3 to 88.4 tonnes/ha for plots under the sun. Tithonia stem height ranged from 13.40 to 80.63 centimeters at cutting intervals of 4 to 10 weeks. The dry matter yields for Sapium was from 0.5, 0.5, and 0.6 to 0.7 tonnes/Ha at the cutting of 79,11 and 13 weeks, while the twigs strippings lengths ranged from 42.8 to 86.5 centimeters at the same cutting intervals. Tithonia had higher dry matter yields than Sapium (p

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