This presentation deals with a comparison of some of the factors affecting the management of tropical and temperate pastures.
1 Water: Water deficit is the most important factor affecting pastures in the tropics unlike in the temperate zone.
2 Fertilizer: In tropical pastures application of nitrogen fertilizer is usually not adopted due to economic constraints, hence the emphasis placed on the introduction of legumes, whereas in temperate pastures the use of nitrogen fertilizer is often effective as well as that of legumes.
3 Light: Competition for light is not as important in tropical pastures as in the temperate pastures. Thus the establishment of pastures under coconut trees is suitable in terms of light utilization in the tropics.
4 Establishment: Stem transplanting is often effective in the establishment of tropical pastures. Moreover, oversowing of legumes or pioneer grasses such as mollasses grass or sorghum is effective in native grasslands. Both methods are seldom applied in temperate pastures.
5 Maintenance of pasture productivity during the dry season: Irrigation along with fertilizer or dung and urea application to highly productive grasses such as Napier grass in limited areas may enable to maintain pasture productivity during the dry season in the tropics, while in temperate pastures there are no effective methods to promote productivity during the winter season.
6 Selection of suitable grass species: There are many kinds of tropical grasses which are suitable for cooler areas (Kikuyu grass, Bahia grass, Dallis grass, Bermuda grass, Rhodes grass), for warmer areas (Signal grass, Para grass, Napier grass, molasses grass), for humid areas (Paragrass, Pangola grass, Scrobic grass), and for dry areas (Weeping Love grass, Jaragua grass, Buffel grass).
In contrast, the range of adaptability of temperate grasses to different climatic conditions seems less wide than that of tropical grasses.