Stylo 184 is a short-lived perennial legume (2 to 3 years) that grows into a small shrub with some woody stems. It is adapted to a wide range of soils and climates but is one of the few herbaceous legumes which will grow well on infertile, acid soils. It will not grow on very alkaline soils (pH>8). Unlike earlier varieties of S. guianensis (eg. cv. Schofield, Cook and Graham) Stylo 184 has shown good resistance to the fungal disease anthracnose in Southeast Asia. It is usually grown as a cover crop, which is cut every 2 to 3 months. It effectively suppresses weeds and is a good feed supplement for most animals, including chickens, pigs and fish. Stylo 184 can be fed fresh or dried for hay and leaf meal. It does not tolerate being cut close to the ground since there are few buds on the lower stem for regrowth. This can be improved by making the first cut at 10 to 20 cm to encourage branching close to the ground. Subsequent cuts must be made higher (>25 cm) to ensure good regrowth (Horne and Stür 1999). N concentrations of Stylosanthes guianensis range from 1.5 to 3 % in DM. DM digestibility of young plant material lies between 60 to 70%, but with increasing age and lignification this may be reduced to below 40% (Mannetje and Jones 1992).
The aim of this experiment was to study the effect of supplementation with Stylo 184 to a basal diet of Gamba grass on the growth of stall-fed goats in the period of heavy rains. The hypothesis was that feeding improved forages (Gamba and Stylo 184) to goats will increase productivity of the goats in the critical time of the year.