Fodder production in a hortipastoral system in rainfed Alfisol of Southern India.
Vairavan K., Swaminathan C., Marimuthu R., Ravi S.
Author Affiliation: National Pulses Research Centre, Vamban - 622 303, Tamil Nadu, India.
Madras Agricultural Journal 88 : 267-270
Abstract : A hortipastoral experiment was conducted for 6 years (1993-98) at the National Pulses Research Centre, Vamban, Tamil Nadu, India to evaluate the performance of three fodder crops (i.e., sorghum (Sorghum vulgare [S. bicolor]), maize (Zea mays) and stylo (Stylosanthes hamata)) as understorey in fruit trees (i.e., mango (Mangifera indica), sapota (Achras sapota [Manilkara sapota]), guava (Psidium guajava) and jack (Artocarpus heterophyllus)), and to screen the compatible fodder crop for intercropping in rainfed Alfisols. A comparison of fodder yield of sorghum, maize and stylo, grown as understorey, recorded that stylosanthes and maize could do better compared to sorghum. The data also indicate a slow and steady decline in fodder productivity from the first through the sixth year. A maximum mean fodder yield of 8.73 tonnes/ha was recorded in sapota-grown plots. The lowest yield throughout the study was observed in guava-grown plots. A comparison of mean fodder productivity under fruit trees during the first and sixth year revealed the highest yield penalty (27.8%) in the mango combinations.