Evaluation of Napier Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum) Varieties on Mineral Composition by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer

There are various types of Napier grass that can be found in Malaysia. Each variety of Napier grass has different morphology, potential yield, and nutritive value. Pakchong Napier (hybrid type), Taiwan Napier and Indian Napier are famous among farmers as they were believed it has the best features of Napier grass, especially in nutritive value. However, there is limited information on mineral composition in various types of Napier grass. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the mineral composition of various types of Napier grass. Seven types of Napier grass were planted in Agro Techno Park, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and harvested after two months of maturity for mineral analysis by using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer(AAS). The composition of minerals found in seven types of Napier grass was assessed and recorded. Zanzibar Napier showed the highest concentration of calcium, potassium and sodium, while Purple Napier showed the lowest concentration of calcium, magnesium and sodium. No differences were observed on phosphorus concentration among Napier grass varieties. On the other hand, Dwarf Napier showed the highest concentration of zinc, manganese and iron, while the lowest concentration was in Pakchong Napier. The importance of this study is to suggest the best type of Napier grass with the optimum minerals concentration as the main forage that effects on animal production positively.
Macro and micro minerals concentration were significantly affected by the different varieties of Napier grass. The results suggest that Zanzibar Napier could provide an adequate amount of macro minerals which were calcium, potassium and sodium. Furthermore, for micro minerals, Dwarf Napier obtained a sufficient amount of zinc, manganese and iron required in the ruminant diet.