Nitrate poisoning
Elephant grass can cause nitrate poisoning in cattle when used as the sole component of the diet (Cook et al., 2005). Fatal nitrate poisoning of cattle fed solely on elephant grass was reported in Malaysia in 1979. Nitrate levels in elephant grass from the toxic area averaged 28.3 mg/g (up to 44 mg in some samples) while level from non-toxic areas was 3.9 mg/g (Seiler et al., 1979). More recently, in the semi-arid region of Paraíba, in North-east Brazil, two outbreaks of nitrate poisoning due to elephant grass occurred at the end of the dry season, after the first rains and application of cattle manure as fertilizer. Clinical signs were anorexia, respiratory distress, teeth grinding, depression or hyperexcitability, tremors, abdominal contractions, salivation, nasal discharge, uncoordinated gait, cyanosis, and finally recumbency (Medeiros et al., 2003).
Oxalate content
Oxalate levels of 2.5-3.1% of DM have been reported but no problems were recorded (Cook et al., 2005).
Mature leaves
The mature leaves are razor sharp and can sometimes hurt grazing cattle (FAO, 2015).