Biomass production in an agroforestry system involving food and fodder crops

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in the Instructional Farm, college of Agriculture, Vellayani, during the period from Apr 1984 to Nov 1985, with the object of finding out the biomass production in an agroforestry system involving food and fodder crops and also to select the most suitable cereal-legune combination to be grown as intercrop under different plant densities of subabul. Subabul was planted at 3 x 1 m and 4 x 1 in spaclngs six months prior to the planting of annual crops in 1984. Annual legumes (cowpea and blackgram) and cereals (males, sorghum and bajra) ware planted in alternate rows in the space between tho rows of suitabul . Subabul foliage was pruned and applied as green manures to the annual crops 15 days before planting and at every fcifl 15 days interval after planting upfco the 60 day in the first year subsequent prunings at every 15 days interval till the planting of annual crops In July, 1985 were recorded as green fodder subabul foliage was pruned and applied as green manures to the annual crops at every 15 days interval after planting upto the 60 day in the second year also, subsequent prunings at every 15 days interval till the harvesting of annual crops x-iQVQ recorded as green fodder. The experiment was laid out as a factorial experiment in randomised block design with three replications.