A. IMPORTANCE OF GREEN FODDER IN MILK PRODUCTION
Green fodder is an economic source of nutrients for the dairy animals. It is highly palatable and digestible. Micro-organisms present in green fodder help in improving digestibility of crop residues under mixed feeding system. It also helps in maintaining good health and improving breeding efficiency of animals. Increased use of green fodder in the ration of animals may reduce cost of milk production.
To reduce the gap between demand and availability of green fodder, there is a need to improve green fodder yield through enhanced use of improved fodder seeds. For ensuring year round green fodder production, farmers need to adopt following agricultural practices:
Always use certified / truthfully labeled seed / planting material of improved high yielding varieties of fodder crops.
Follow recommended package of practices for fodder cultivation such as land preparation, timely sowing, fertilizer application, irrigation, weed and pest control and harvesting schedule.
Growing short duration varieties of fodder crops such as maize, sunflower, Chinese cabbage, turnip, cowpea etc. between two main seasonal crops.
Cultivate cereal fodder crops like maize, bajra and sorghum along with fodder legumes like cowpea, cluster bean and velvet bean.
Cultivation of high yielding multi-cut perennial fodder crop like Hybrid Napier grass in fields and also on boundaries of other crop fields.
Cultivate guinea grass, a shade tolerant fodder crop along with forage legumes like siratro stylus under mixed cropping between trees rows in orchards.
Harvest the multi-cut fodder crops at regular intervals (30 to 45 days) 10 cm height from ground level to get optimum production and quality fodder.
Cultivate drought tolerant perennial grasses like Anjani grass, sewn grass, Rhodes grass and fodder trees like desi babool, neem, shisam, kanchan, aaradu, khejri, subabul and Gliricidia on fallow lands/wastelands/community for grazing.
Some photos of important fodder crops and trees are provided in the following pages.
B. FODDER CONSERVATION
Feeding quality roughages to the dairy animals throughout the year is essential to exploit their milk production potential. Generally, green fodder is available in plenty in few months like September / October (monsoon season) and February / March (Rabi season) under irrigated conditions while its availability is limited during summer months. The surplus green fodder can be conserved in the form of hay and silage to ensure supply of roughages during deficit period and to minimize wastage of green fodder.
HAY MAKING
Hay is a sun dried green fodder, containing moisture below 15 per cent. It is a good source of digestible dry matter and crude protein for dairy animals during deficit periods. The best quality hay is prepared from thin stem cultivated fodder crops like Lucerne, Oats and Sweet Sudan Grass during hot and dry summer months from March to May. Some perennial pasture grasses like Guinea grass, Rhodes grass, Anjan/Dhaman grass, Blue panic grass are also suitable for hay making.
To get best quality hay, these crops are cut at 50 per cent flowering stage. After cutting, green foliage is evenly spread on dry surface in thin layers of 5 cm thick for sun drying. Every morning after 10 A.M. fodder is inverted manually /mechanically for quick and evenly drying. After 4 to 5 days, when moisture reaches to less than 15 per cent in the forages, hay is collected and bundles are made for storage. While drying, care should be taken that hay retain the leaves and green colour, as it is an indicator of good quality hay.
These bundles of hay should be stored in moisture and dust free places like bunkers/godown to maintain quality for longer period. Hay can be fed @ 5 kg per animal per day with or without chaffing.
SILAGE MAKING
It is known as pickle of green fodder. It is easily digestible and highly palatable. Best quality silage can be prepared from cereal fodder crops like Maize, Sorghum, Pearl millet, Oats and Barley which are rich in carbohydrates/sugars. Green fodder should be harvested at milking to dough stage of the crop, containing moisture content around 65 to 70 per cent, ideal for silage making. After harvesting, fodder is chaffed to 1 to 2 inch size for filling in silo pit.
Silage storage structure (Silo pit) is to be constructed prior to initiating silage making. Surface silo is an ideal storage structure and to be constructed on raised ground to minimize inflow of water. Size of the silo pit depends on the quantity of fodder to be ensiled. Silo pit with area of one cubic meter (1 metre length x 1 meter width x 1 meter height) is sufficient for ensiling 500 to 600 Kilograms of chaffed fodder.
The chaffed fodder is filled in tightly pressed layer of 10 cm each. Pressing of fodder can be done manually in small silo and through tractors on big size silo. After complete filling of silo pit, silage heap should be well sealed at the top with polythene sheet and 5 inches thick moist soil layer. Later, if some cracks are visible in the covered layer, more soil should be spread to seal it. Use of additives should be avoided in silage making. However, if fodder is not harvested at proper stage, suitable additives (molasses/common salt/ urea/formic acid) can be used during fodder filling.
After 45 days silage is ready for animal feeding. When green fodder is in deficit, silo pit can be opened from one side to take out the silage as per daily need of animals. It may be covered properly with polythene sheet after taking out of silage daily. Silage is a substitute of green fodder. However, initially for 3 – 4 days, its feeding is limited @ 5 to 10 kg/animal/per day to adjust the animals on silage feeding.
C. UREA AMMONIA TREATMENT OF CROP RESIDUES
It is well known that green fodder, cattle feed and dry fodder in combination form the ideal nutritional source for maintaining health and milk production of animals. But sometimes due to non-availability of green fodder in sufficient quantity and high price of cattle feed pose problems for the farmer to meet nutritional demand of milking animals. Generally, paddy, wheat, bajra and sorghum straws are available in plenty with the farmers but these straws are deficient in nutrients and low in digestibility. Straws have less than 4 per cent protein. Urea treatment of straw increases its nutritive value by raising the protein content to about 8 per cent. Feeding urea treated straw may reduce the cattle feed requirement up to 30 per cent.
Straw Treatment Method:
At a time at least 1 ton straw should be treated. We need 40 kg urea and 400 liters of water for the treatment of 1 ton straw.
Dissolve 4 kg urea in 40 liters of water.
Spread 100 kg straw on the floor to form 3-4 inch thick layer.
Sprinkle 40 liters of prepared urea solution on the straw using gardener’s sprinkler. Then press the straw with feet by walking on it.
Spread another 100 kg of dry straw on top of this compressed straw, and prepare another 40 liters of urea solution again by dissolving 4 kg urea in 40 liters of water. Sprinkle the prepared urea solution over the second layer of straw and repeat the compaction by walking on the layer of treated straw. Likewise, repeat the procedure 10 times by spreading 10 layers of straw, sprinkling it with 4 % urea solution and then pressing with feet.
Cover the treated straw heap with a new plastic sheet and spread some quantity of mud at the point where it touches the ground to prevent the formed ammonia gas to escape.
In case plastic sheet is not available, cover the treated heap with dry straw. Then after putting some soil, cover the same with wet clay / or cow dung layer to make it airtight.
UREA AMMONIA TREATMENT OF CROP RESIDUES (contd)
Precautions:
Never feed urea or urea solution directly to the animal. Urea as such is fatal to animals.
While treating the straw, keep the urea solution away from the reach of animals.
Cemented floor is more appropriate for treatment of straw. If the floor is kaccha, use a plastic sheet on the floor before spreading the first layer of straw.
It is convenient to undertake straw treatment in a closed room or in the corner location.
Treated straw should be opened after 21 days in summer and 28 days in winter. Before feeding, the straw should be spread in open air for the ammonia gas to escape.
Start with feeding small quantities of treated straw. Slowly the animal gets habituated and starts relishing it.
D. FODDER MOWERS & PICK UP DEVICES
Due to labor shortage many farmers are adopting grain harvesters/pickers intensively for managing food crops like wheat rice, maize, oil seeds, pulses leading to huge loss of fodder biomass which was otherwise available to dairy cattle in manual harvesting system. For reducing fodder wastage, the farmers need to introduce fodder mowers and auto pick up devices for effective management of fodder and recovery of straw after combining. Mowers are high speed green fodder and straw harvesting machines having inbuilt options for threshing / chopping / trailer loading / stem cracking/ conditioning. They are the most economical devices for straw recovery, silage making, hay making, mulching, composting/fertigation. Mowers are also known as roughage management machines used for intensive fodder production for higher protein and higher energy recovery at right stage of harvesting, storage, banking and ware housing.
Depending on season, crop hardness, tenderness, thickness, height and moisture of different crops, various types of mowers are to be propagated. Following three kinds of straw securing and fodder management devices will be extremely useful in near future:
Auto Pick up Balers (Photo A)
Flail Mower, Chopper Loader (Photo B)
Combine prevention / reversal mowers (Photo C)
FODDER MOWERS & PICK UP DEVICES (contd)
Auto Pick up: Baler is driven by 50 – 75 hp tractors. It picks up a swath width of about 1500-1800 mm. Straw or hay pick up rate with this machine is about 1 to 2 MT per hour depending on crop and swath. Size of the bales can be adjusted from 10 to 20 kg. Small bales are easy to handle and can be transported to transit storage points with ease and minimum drudgery. Loading, unloading and stacking of fodder becomes very convenient after field baling. Also onward trading and distribution is quite convenient after baling. Left out straw from dwarf varieties can be baled directly after combining. But for taller biomass additional disc or drum or sickle type mower is essential before baling works. For managing high moisture biomass we need another machine called collection inversion cum liner rake (Photo D) so as to sun dry the biomass before pick up & storage. The baler machine can work on almost all types of biomass. About 20 MT of straw can be secured in one day by employing 75 HP tractor driven baler. Many leading international brands of straw or hay baler machines are active in India now – Claas, New Holland, John Deere, Kuhn are among the top players.
Flail Mower, Chopper Loader: is also driven by 50 – 75 hp tractors. It pick up swath width of about 1300 to 1900 mm. Straw recovery rate with this machine is about 2 to 3 MT per hour depending on crop height and swath. Machine has option of blowing the fodder biomass back into field for sun drying or fertigation or mulching as per specific needs of the farmer. For high moisture biomass collection, inversion cum liner rake (Photo D) is also required so as to sun dry the biomass before pick up and storage. The machine can work on almost all types of biomass. The mower ensures added benefit of high speed silage and hay making due to inbuilt chopping and cracking facilities. About 20 MT of straw can be picked up in one day with this mower in loose form. Mechanisms used in the flail mowers are simple, but strong & sturdy. Therefore, low skill level workers and operators can also run this type of biomass recovery mowers. Major players for flail harvesters in India are Fimaks, John Deere, New Holland.
Combine prevention / reversal mowers : Under this category many kinds of smaller crop mowers are available now. Self propelled Reaper Binder with 10 HP diesel engine is gaining momentum in India due to its versatile usefulness in fodder as well as grain crops like wheat, rice, rain-fed sorghum, bajra, pulses, oil seeds etc. The machine harvests the crops at almost zero level – just 60 mm above the ground thus guarantees 100% straw recovery. Bundles made by the reaper binders are fully automatic (labor free) and are quite handy. BCS and Jahoda are top suppliers for reaper binders in India. The mower machine can harvest about 8 acre in one day.
E. PACKAGES OF PRACTICES OF IMPORTANT FODDER CROPS IN
INDIA
SUMMER/KHARIF CROPS
|
Crop |
Soil type |
High yielding varieties |
Sowing time |
Seed rate (kg / ha) |
Row Spacing cms |
Fertilizer rate (kg/ha) |
No. of irrigations |
Harvesting time (days) |
No. of cuts / year |
Fodder yield (ton/ ha) |
|
Sorghum (Single cut) |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam |
PC – 6, 9HC – 136,308HJ – 513,CSV 21 FPant Chari 5 |
June – July (North India) Feb to Nov (South India) |
25-30 |
30-40 |
N – 90P- 30 |
2-3 |
80-90 for late varieties and 65-57 for early ones |
1 |
30-50 |
|
Sorghum (Multi- cut) |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam |
SSG 988CSH 24 MFCSH 20 MFCO FS 29Pant Chari 6 |
March – July (North India) Feb to Nov (South India) |
25-30 |
30-40 |
N - 60P - 30&N - 30 kg after every cut |
5-6 |
First cut at 60 days and rest at 45 days interval |
3-4&6-7 in case CO FS29 |
70-90 |
|
Maize |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam Gooddrainage |
African Tall J-1006Pratap Makka Chari 6Vijay Composite |
March – August (North India) Feb to Nov (South India) |
60-80 |
30-40 |
N – 80P- 40 &N – 30 kg after every cut |
3-4 |
75-80 |
1 |
35-55 |
|
Pearl Millet |
Sandy Loam |
AVKB-19 GFB-1 FBC 10 |
March to July |
8-10 |
30 |
N – 40P- 20 |
2-3 |
First cut at 50 days andrest cuts at 35 days interval |
3-4 |
25-50 |
|
Teosinte |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam |
TL – 1 |
July |
30-40 |
40-45 |
N – 90P- 30 |
2-3 |
75 days stage |
1 |
35-40 |
|
Cowpea |
Sandy to Loam |
UPC 618UPC 625UPC 622 |
March to July |
30-35 |
30-45 |
N – 30P- 40 |
2-3 |
60 -80 |
1 |
25 -30 |
|
Crop |
Soil type |
High yielding varieties |
Sowing time |
Seed rate (kg/ha) |
Row Spacing cms |
Fertilizer rate (kg/ha) |
No. of irrigations |
Harvesting time (days) |
No. of cuts / year |
Fodder yield (ton/ ha) |
|
Rice bean |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam |
Bidhan 1KRB – 4 |
April to August |
20-25 |
30-35 |
N – 30P- 40 |
2-3 |
70-90 |
1 |
20-25 |
|
Cluster bean |
Sandy to Sandy Loam |
HFG-156Guara-80 Bundel Guar– 1,2,3 |
April to August |
25-30 |
30-35 |
N – 30P- 40 |
2-3 |
60-75 |
1 |
20-30 |
WINTER/RABI CROPS
|
Crop |
Soil type |
High yielding varieties |
Sowing time |
Seed rate (kg/ha) |
Row Spacing cms |
Fertilizer rate (kg/ha) |
No. of irrigations |
Harvesting time (days) |
No. of cuts /year |
Fodder yield (ton/ ha) |
|
Berseem |
Loam to Clay Loam |
Wardan, JB-1, BL – 1, 10, 42 Mescavi |
October to November |
25 |
20 |
N – 30 P- 60 K - 40 |
10-15 |
First cut at 60 days and rest at 25 days interval |
5-6 |
70-110 |
|
Lucerne |
Sandy to Loam |
Anand – 2 (Annual type) RL – 88 and Anand Lucerne 3 (Perennial type) |
October to November |
25 |
20 |
N – 30 P- 80 K - 40 |
10 (Annual) 15 (Perennial) |
First cut at 50 days and rest at 30 days interval |
Annual – (6) Perennial ( 8 cut) |
60-80 (Annual) 80-110 (Perennial) |
|
Oats |
Sandy Loam to Loam |
Kent UPO 212 Harita (RO19) Bundel Jai 2004 |
October to November |
80-100 |
20-25 |
N – 80 P- 40 |
3-4 |
First cut at 60 days and second cut at 50 % flowering |
1-2 |
30-45) |
|
Fodder Mustard |
Sandy Loam to Loam |
Chinese Cabbage |
September to November |
6-8 |
30-40 |
N – 60 P- 30 |
2-3 |
AT 50 % flowering |
1 |
25-30 |
|
Fodder beet |
Loam |
Jamon, JK Kuber, |
November to December |
3 |
50 |
N – 120 P – 60 K - 40 |
8 |
Digging of roots at 100 days onward |
1 |
75 - 100 |
PERENNIAL GRASSES/PASTURE
LEGUMES/FODDER TREES
|
Crop |
Soil type |
High yielding varieties |
Sowing time |
Seed rate (kg/ha) |
Row Spacing cms |
Fertilizer rate (kg/ha) |
No. of irrigations |
Harvesting time (days) |
No. of cuts / year |
Fodder yield (ton/ha) |
|
Stylo |
Loam to Sandy Loam |
Verano, Scabra Hamata |
June-July in North India and March to September in South India |
6-8 |
30 |
N – 25 P – 40 |
Rain fed |
I cut at 60- 70 days after sowing second cut at 60 days interval |
3-4 |
15-35 |
|
Siratro, Clitoria ternatea |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam |
Local |
June-July in North India and March to September in South India |
8-10 |
30 |
N – 25 P – 40 |
Rain fed |
I cut at 70- 80 days after sowing second cut at 60 days interval |
2-3 |
15-25 |
|
Hedge Lucerne |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam |
Local |
June-July in North India and March to September in South India |
2-3 |
45 x 10 |
N – 25 P – 60 |
Rain fed |
I cut at 70- 80 days after sowing second cut at 45 days interval |
4-5 |
30-40 |
|
Gliricidia sepium |
Loam to Clay Loam |
Local |
July to August in rainy season |
2000 stem cuttings |
500 x 100 |
N – 25 P – 60 |
Rain fed |
After 5-6 months of planting lopping of tree branches as per need |
2 -3 times |
10-15 |
|
Subabool, Agasthi, Shevri |
Sandy to loam |
Local |
July – August |
4-5 |
500 x 100 |
N – 25 P – 60 |
Rain fed |
After 5-6 months of planting lopping of tree branches as per need |
2-3 times |
10-15 |
WINTER/RABI CROPS
|
Crop |
Soil type |
High yielding varieties |
Sowing time |
Seed rate (kg/ha) |
Row Spacing cms |
Fertilizer rate (kg/ha) |
No. of irrigations |
Harvesting time (days) |
No. of cuts /year |
Fodder yield (ton/ ha) |
|
Berseem |
Loam to Clay Loam |
Wardan, JB-1, BL – 1, 10, 42 Mescavi |
October to November |
25 |
20 |
N – 30 P- 60 K - 40 |
10-15 |
First cut at 60 days and rest at 25 days interval |
5-6 |
70-110 |
|
Lucerne |
Sandy to Loam |
Anand – 2 (Annual type) RL – 88 and Anand Lucerne 3 (Perennial type) |
October to November |
25 |
20 |
N – 30 P- 80 K - 40 |
10 (Annual) 15 (Perennial) |
First cut at 50 days and rest at 30 days interval |
Annual – (6) Perennial ( 8 cut) |
60-80 (Annual) 80-110 (Perennial) |
|
Oats |
Sandy Loam to Loam |
Kent UPO 212 Harita (RO19) Bundel Jai 2004 |
October to November |
80-100 |
20-25 |
N – 80 P- 40 |
3-4 |
First cut at 60 days and second cut at 50 % flowering |
1-2 |
30-45) |
|
Fodder Mustard |
Sandy Loam to Loam |
Chinese Cabbage |
September to November |
6-8 |
30-40 |
N – 60 P- 30 |
2-3 |
AT 50 % flowering |
1 |
25-30 |
|
Fodder beet |
Loam |
Jamon, JK Kuber, |
November to December |
3 |
50 |
N – 120 P – 60 K - 40 |
8 |
Digging of roots at 100 days onward |
1 |
75 - 100 |
PERENNIAL GRASSES/PASTURE
LEGUMES/FODDER TREES
|
Crop |
Soil type |
High yielding varieties |
Sowing time |
Seed rate (kg/ha) |
Row Spacing cms |
Fertilizer rate (kg/ha) |
No. of irrigations |
Harvesting time (days) |
No. of cuts / year |
Fodder yield (ton/ha) |
|
Stylo |
Loam to Sandy Loam |
Verano, Scabra Hamata |
June-July in North India and March to September in South India |
6-8 |
30 |
N – 25 P – 40 |
Rain fed |
I cut at 60- 70 days after sowing second cut at 60 days interval |
3-4 |
15-35 |
|
Siratro, Clitoria ternatea |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam |
Local |
June-July in North India and March to September in South India |
8-10 |
30 |
N – 25 P – 40 |
Rain fed |
I cut at 70- 80 days after sowing second cut at 60 days interval |
2-3 |
15-25 |
|
Hedge Lucerne |
Sandy Loam to Clay Loam |
Local |
June-July in North India and March to September in South India |
2-3 |
45 x 10 |
N – 25 P – 60 |
Rain fed |
I cut at 70- 80 days after sowing second cut at 45 days interval |
4-5 |
30-40 |
|
Gliricidia sepium |
Loam to Clay Loam |
Local |
July to August in rainy season |
2000 stem cuttings |
500 x 100 |
N – 25 P – 60 |
Rain fed |
After 5-6 months of planting lopping of tree branches as per need |
2 -3 times |
10-15 |
|
Subabool, Agasthi, Shevri |
Sandy to loam |
Local |
July – August |
4-5 |
500 x 100 |
N – 25 P – 60 |
Rain fed |
After 5-6 months of planting lopping of tree branches as per need |
2-3 times |
10-15 |