MSc

Fodder crops have an important role in meeting the feed requirement of animals which provide roughages as well as nutrients to them. Green fodder is an essential component of feeding high yielding animals to obtain optimum level of production. Among various agronomic factors, proper fertilizer application and appropriate planting geometry are of prime importance in getting higher forage yield of better quality. Among different nutrients, nitrogen is considered to be the most important, which improves quality of fodder especially crude protein.
A field experiment to study the effect of varying plant densities and nitrogen levels on yield and quality of fodder bajra and fodder sorghum, and the nutrient removal by these crops was conducted during 2014. Factorial combinations of two fodder crops (F1 - Fodder bajra and F2 - fodder sorghum), three spacings (S1 - 30 x 15 cm, S2 - 25 x 15 cm and S3 - 20 x 15 cm) and two N levels (N1 - 60 kg ha-1 and N2 - 90 kg ha-1) were the treatments. Observations on growth and yield of fodder crops, nutrient contents, fodder quality parameters, soil characters and weed incidence were recorded.
Analysis of data on growth parameters showed that spacing and proper nitrogen fertilizer application are the key factors to increase the plant growth and produce higher yield in fodder crops. Fodder yield was more in fodder bajra than fodder sorghum. The highest fodder yield was 27 t ha-1 and 24 t ha-1 for fodder bajra and fodder sorghum, respectively. Higher fodder yields were obtained from the treatments which were given higher dose of N. The highest dry matter yield for fodder bajra was in the treatment which was sown at closer spacing and given higher dose of N fertilizer, both in the early stage and towards harvest. Fodder sorghum also followed the same trend. But the dry matter production at harvest was around 70 percent higher than that of fodder bajra. Regarding weed population, grass weeds were dominant over broadleaved weeds, and sedge weeds were absent. Dry weight of weeds at harvest was comparatively more in fodder sorghum than fodder bajra due to more light interception in sorghum leading to higher dry matter production of weeds. In case of nutrient removal by weeds it was more in fodder sorghum than fodder bajra.
N content of the leaves was higher than that in the stems. Application of higher dose of N fertilizer always resulted in higher N content. The average N content in fodder bajra and fodder sorghum did not show much variation. N, P, K, Ca and Mg uptakes were recorded higher in fodder sorghum with closer spacing and higher dose of nitrogen. Irrespective of the crops, higher dose of N with closer spacing gave good quality fodder from both bajra and sorghum. Higher crude fibre and nitrogen free extract were recorded from the treatments applied with lower dose of nitrogen, but ash content, crude fat and nitrate content of the fodder crops were higher in treatments applied with higher dose of nitrogen.
Organic carbon percentage of the soil showed slight increase. Available N, P and K in soil showed reduction. However, Ca and Mg contents were increased. pH of soil also showed decrease.
The study revealed that spacing and application of nitrogen fertilizer influenced growth, fodder yield, dry matter production and quality of both fodder bajra and fodder sorghum. As the spacing decreased and level of nitrogen fertilizer increased, fodder bajra and fodder sorghum performed better and produced higher yield.