DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sajb.2026.v14i02.003

Pages: 181-187

The development of pastoral livestock farming requires sufficient quantities of good quality fodder. The advantage of fodder crops is that they provide both sufficient quantities and good quality fodder throughout the year. The objective of this study is to evaluate fodder production in relation to chicken droppings in degraded savannah areas in the Ignié region. Two non-random Fischer block experimental designs were set up, one with pure crops with one treatment and three replicates, and the other with associed crops with one treatment and four replicates. The treatments were based on chicken droppings at a dose of 2.5 g per 25 m² plot. The soil was prepared mechanically during the dry season. The chicken droppings was spread two weeks before planting. The crops were planted in rows, spaced 0.5 m x 0.5 m apart, by sowing, cuttings and root suckers on plots of 25 m² each during the rainy season. The herbaceous above-ground biomass was measured using the harvest method in 1 m² plots with four replicates for each crop. The samples were dried in an oven at 70°C for 24 hours. The results show that the herbaceous above-ground biomass of untreated and treated pure crops varies with species and treatment. After three months, above-ground biomass is higher with the addition of chicken droppings. It is 9.95 t DM/ha for Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.; 13.1 t DM/ha for Panicum maximum Jacq. and 15.95 t DM/ha for Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. The same trend is observed for associeted crops. The most productive combination is Panicum maximum Jacq. - Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. - Pennisetum purpureum Schumach., with 27.9 t DM/ha. The use of chicken droppings could be an alternative to mineral fertilisers for improving pastures.