Impact Of Grass Reseeding Technology On Rehabi Itation Of The Degraded Rangelands: A Case Study Of Kibwe I District, Kenya

ABSTRACT

A study was undertaken at Kibwezi division of Kibwezi district to investigate and

evaluate the practice and success factors responsible for the range rehabilitation work

undertaken by the Dryland Husbandry Project (DHP) in conjunction with local

communities. The work involved the identification of most frequently used grasses,

through visits and discussions with community groups and key informants.

The general objective of this study was to contribute to greater understanding of the land

degradation problem in: the drylands and the grass reseeding technology used in

addressing the problem. Improvement in soil hydrological properties; increased

infiltration, reduced runoff and sediment production and percentage ground cover were

used to measure success in rehabilitation. A regression analysis was used to establish the

primary contributors of land degradation in the study area. The identified grass species

whose seed were available were tested for germination viability, established in field plots

and monitored from germination, vegetative stage and early seed development. Three

sites; two under rain fed and one under irrigation, were employed to test the reseeding

capacity of the three grasses seeds commonly used for rehabilitation in the area:

Cenchrus ciliaris, Enteropogon macrostachyus and Eragrostis superba.

Seed viability tests results showed that Enteropogon macrostachyus had the highest

percentage germination under all treatments. Under controlled laboratory conditions, at

20°C, it had a percentage germination of 46%, whereas both Cenchrus ciliaris and

Eragrostis superba had 0% percent germination. A repeat of the same experiment under

the same conditions at 20°C after 9 months showed higher seed germination in all the

three grass species. Enteropogon macrostachyus had the highest percentage germination

of 85%, whereas Cenchrus ciliaris and Eragrostis superba had a percent germination of

40% and 21%, respectively. Under room temperatures of 30°C, in the study area,

Enteropogon macrostachyus had the highest percentage seed germination of 53%,

whereas Cenchrus ciliaris and Eragrostis superba had 12 and 10%, respectively. The

differences observed among the grass species in terms of percent seed germination may