Brachiaria Cobra

COBRA® Grass – Brachiaria Hybrid CV. CIAT BR02/1794

Its growth in erect strains facilitates cutting by staying soft, even in a state of maturity. It is ideal as a cutting grass and for the production of hay and silage. It responds very well to fertilization in intensive systems.

COBRA® grass is the best alternative to achieve a high production of green matter and dry matter in intensive grass cutting systems both to provide fresh grass to cattle or to produce hay and silage. It can also be used in grazing, when the farm on land of good fertility, requires a hybrid that offers more available grass for livestock consumption.

Biomass Production

COBRA® grass has great power to produce green matter available in a short time for feeding animals, presenting a high growth rate in cuts every 45 days, surpassing cutting materials such as sorghum and with higher nutritional quality. This quality and production is manifested in an increase in animal production since they will have a high availability of very high quality protein and digestibility fodder.

Cobra grass has bright green pubescent stems and leaves. It requires well drained soils of medium-to-high fertility. Cobra grass is planted at a density of 8 kg/ha using a sorghum planter, calibrated to sow 15 seeds/linear meter. A second pass of the planter between the first rows planted ensures planting at 50 cm between furrows. 

Cobra grass can also be planted using a zip line or seed can be broadcasted manually at 8 kg/ha (40 seeds per square meter).
Seed must be treated with insecticides to avoid being carried away by ants or birds. Insecticides containing the following active ingredients are recommended: bifenthrin + imidacloprid, thiodicarb, and thiamethoxan. These should be applied according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. 

Fallow land can be prepared as usual or with 2 passes of a conventional harrow. Cobra grass seeds require a maximum planting depth of 2 cm. In the case of cultivated soils, seed could be planted too deep. To avoid this situation, preplanting soil preparation is recommended, either using a roller or by passing tires or a heavy log, or submitting the area to heavy irrigation to stabilize the land and prepare a seedbed for better planting results.  

In the presence of broadleaf weeds, control practices should be performed 30-45 days after planting, applying small doses of herbicide, for example picloram + 2,4-D.

Use of fertilizers containing NPK elements helps improve pasture establishment, plant growth, and pasture management, thus obtaining high-quality forage. Soil analyses should be conducted to precisely determine soil components. However, the general recommendation is to apply 50-50-50 N-P-K/ha per year.

The first cut of Cobra grass should be performed 90–110 days after germination. If climatic conditions are favorable and crop management adequate, once the pasture is established cutting can be conducted at 50-day intervals 

Growth habit: Erect

Life cycle: Perennial 

Production: 35-40 tons DM /ha per year

Protein potential: 14-16%

Digestibility: 69%

Use: Intensive forage production

Plant height 1.20-1.50 m 47.24-59.05 inches

Leaf:stem ratio: High (80:20)

Spittlebug: Tolerant

Tolerance to ooding: Poor

Planting method: Broadcast or furrow planting

Planting depth: Maximum 2 cm 0.7874 inches

Planting density: 8–10 kg seed/ha 17.63lb-22.04/acre

Days to establishment: 90–150 days

Precipitation: Minimum 500 mm

Use of irrigation: Consult advisor

Altitude above sea level: 0–1,400 m

Soil fertility: Good; abundant forage

Soil pH:  4.5–8

Uses: As green forage or hay 

Forage Growth and Production (Kg MS / hectare in 6 months)

In trials carried out both in CIPAT Mexico and in Costa Rica, the COBRA® hybrid has managed to produce more dry matter when cuts are made between 30 and 45 days, surpassing forage sorghum and Mulato II. The advantage of COBRA® grass with respect to the other cutting materials is that it produces a greater amount of fodder with high protein content, in addition to having a high digestibility (69%) and palatability so the animal prefers it to other materials of the genus pennisetum and sorghum.

Type of COBRA® grass growth

COBRA® grass, unlike MULATO II® and CAYMAN®, has an erect growth with very well-defined strains ideal for cutting grass. This type of growth gives you the ability to easily recover from both cutting and grazing.

In addition, Cobra grass, under intensive production systems (irrigation and fertilization), can produce 6 to 8 kg of green fodder per square meter every 60 days; With this, its great production of fodder and quality make it an excellent alternative for cattle of cattle or cattle.

COBRA® grass features

•  Great ability to produce green matter 
•  Growth in erect and easily cut strains 
•  Excellent quality as cutting grass 
•  Excellent for cutting due to its large mass production 
•  Ideal for hay and silage production 

*Content taken from Grupo Papalotla

Cobra grass adapts to well-drained soils of medium-to-high fertility.

Due to drought stress, most Brachiaria grasses flower early.

Cobra grass does not tolerate prolonged waterlogging.

Paddock appraisal is a practice that helps us calculate the volume of grass produced per unit area.

Careful data recording is important in all measurement processes.

This grass is easy to handle because its stems are not thick and do not have high water content like those of marafalfa.

HIGHLY PALATABLE AND DIGESTIBLE. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THERE IS NO NEED TO CHOP THIS GRASS.

IT IS EASY TO TRANSPORT.