CONCENTRACIÓN DE RIESGO:

FODDER SORGHUM (Sorghum bicolor)

It is a favorite fodder in many parts of the country. To improve the nutritive value, it should be grown mixed with leguminous fodder crops like cowpea, cluster bean, green gram etc.

Utilization: Crude protein content 9.2 to 9.8%. Used as green fodder, stover, silage and hay. It is an excellent silage crop. Since it contains HCN, it should be harvested at 50% flowering.

Origin: Africa. After wards China and India. Tropical or sub tropical climate Season

1. Irrigated (Jan to Feb and April to May in al the districts) 2. Rainfed (June - July : S.W monsoon)

(Sept - Oct : N.E monsoon)

Varieties

Irrigated : CO 11 (37 t/ha), CO 27 (44 t/ha) Rainfed : K7 (33 t/ha), CO 27

Soil: All soils, but loamy soils with good drainage are best suited.

Field preparation: Plough once with Iron plough and twice with country plough for rainfed crop

Field should be prepared is advance taking advantage of early showers. Apply FYM @ 12.5 t/ha to be the crop and incorporated

Apply 10 pockets of Azospirillum (2kg/ha) for irrigated crop.

Forming ridges and furrows for irrigated crop

1. From ridges and furrows of 6 m long and 30 cm apart 2. Form irrigation channels across the furrows using a ridge

3. If ridges and furrows are not made form beds of size 20m2 _{depending on the availability}

of water.

Application of fertilizer

For irrigated crop N P K kg/ha Basal 30: 40: 20 Top dress on 30 DAS 30: - -

Total: 60: 40: 20

For rainfed crop: 40:20:0 kg/ha. Entire dose as basal Seed rate

Irrigated crop : 40 kg /ha Rainfed crop : 75 kg /ha

Treat the seeds with 3 pockets of Azospirillum (600 g/ha)

Spacing : 30 x15 cm for both the crops.

Dry Crop: Use seed drills for sowing at 5 cm depth or use country (pre monsoon sowing)

plough and sowing behind the country plough.

Water management for irrigated crop: Irrigated immediately after sowing, life irrigation on

3rd _{day and there after irrigated once in 10 days.}

Weed management: Along with hand weeding, thin the seedling and use it for gap filling and

maintaining the spacing of 15 cm between plants. Ist _{weeding : 20 DAS}

IInd _{weeding : 30-40 DAS if necessary.}

Harvesting: If it is a single cult, it should be harvested at 60 to 65 days (50% flowering) and if

it is a multicut variety, the first cut is at 60 DAS and a second cut 40 days after Ist _cut.

Yield: First cut : 45 t/ha (green)

FODDER MAIZE (Zea mays) Origin :Africa

Salient Features: Quickly growing, emerging fodder, suited to wide of range of climate, No HCN content. High yield and digestibility obtained when harvested at 50% flowering to dough stage.

? Highly palatable and nutritious

? Suitable for high altitude.

Season: Irrigated through out the year. Rainfed : Kharif / NE monsoon season.

Field preparation: Like fodder sorghum. Soil: All soils with good drainage.

Manures and Manuring: FYM/compost : 25 t/ha

N P K (kg/ha)

Basal 30: 40: 20

Top dress on 30 DAS 30: - -

Total: 60: 40: 20 kg/ha

Form ridges and furrows using ridger, 6m long and 30 cm apart / form beds depending on the availability of water.

Varieties/ African Tall Ganga –5

Hybrid

1.Green fodder yield 42 t/ha 34 t/ha 2. Crude protein % 9.8 % 10.6 %

Seed and Sowing: Maintain seed rate of 40 kg/ha and dibble one seed to spacing of 15 cm between the seeds in the row to a depth of 4 cm

Spacing : 30 x 15 cm

Seed treatment: Treat the seeds with 3 pockets (600 g) Azospirillum inoculant before sowing. Weed management: Hand weeding on 20th _{day and subsequent weedings if necessary.}

Water management: Irrigate immediately after sowing and life irrigation on 3rd _{day and}

thereafter once in 10 days.

Harvesting: Harvest the crop when the cob is in the milling stage (50% flowering to dough

stage).

Green fodder yield : 40 to 45 t/ha

FODDER CUMBU / Bajra (Pennisetum glaucum) Origin : Africa

Variety : CO 8 Features

? High yielding, sweet stemmed, high tillering

? At any stage, cut and fed to animals (free of toxic)

? Short duration, fall growing, drought resistant

? Non lodging.

As a rainy season crop, it is grown in well drained light soils of TN, AP and Punjab. It is one of the quick growing crops and it responds to multicut. Hence it has to be cut before flowering stage, so that 2 to 3 harvests can be taken. The fodder is not as paltable as that of sorghum or maize. But recently evolved Co8 is palatable and sweet.

CO 8 contains high protein of 12.56%.

Seed rate : 10 kg/ha Spacing : 30 X 10 CM Manures and Manuring

FYM : 25 t/ha, NPK : 50:40:20 kg/ha.

25:40:20 kg/ha applied as basal prior to sowing. And the remaining 25 kg N as top dressing on 25th _day.

Seed and Sowing: Sow the seeds to a depth of 2 to 3 cm and cover / broad cast and cover

with country plough.

Hand weeding: 20 DAS and subsequent as and when required. Irrigation: At sowing + Life irrigation + Once in 10 to15 days Top dressing N: 25 kg N/ha on 25 to 30 days

Harvest: Ist _{cut 40 to 45 after sowing at b oot leaf stage.}

Yield: 30 to 35 t/ha/cut. 3 to 5 cuts can be taken in CO 8. It can be intercropped with fodder

cowpea to improve the fodder quality.

TEOSINTE (Euchlaena mexicana)

This is relative to maize (monocious) and introduced from Central America. It is a tall, succulent annual growing to a height of 1.8 to 3.6m in large clumps with numerous branching tillers. The leaves are 90cm long and 5.0t to 7.5cm broad. It was first introduced to India in 1881. It is un affected by any serious pests or diseases. The seeds are about 8 m.m long, some what angular and vary in colour from dark brown to creamy white. It is also used for hay and silage making. In Punjab, it is recommended for growing during fodder scarcity month of May to June and October to November.

Climate:

Being a tropical species can be grown in warm humid regions with annual rainfall of >1000m.m.

Soil:

It needs rich well-drained loamy soil for best growth.

Season:

Usually grown in kharif season. Best time of sowing in North India is June 25th _{to July15}th _{. It is}

also grown in rabi season.

Sowing:

Seed rate 40kg/ha. Either board cast or drill sowing adopting 30cm row spacing.

Manures and Manuring:

12.5t/ha or FYM. NPK at 20:40:40 kg/ha Entire NPK at basal before sowing..

After cultivation:

One intercultivation. It requires higher water compared to maize 4 to 5 irrigations are grain.

Harvest:

At 110 to 120 days. Sometimes second cut after 6 to 7 weeks after Ist _{is also taken. Fodder}