vetbharathi
Member
What are Forages
In general, forages are the vegetative parts of plants containing a high proportion of fiber (more than 30% neutral detergent fiber). They are required in the diet in a coarse physical form because they:
- stimulate rumination and salivation, which are important processes in maintaining a healthy rumen environment;
- stimulate ruminal contractions and passage rate of digesta through the rumen, which improves the efficiency of rumen bacterial growth
- counter milk fat depression in dairy cattle that occurs when rations high in concentrates are fed. Rations that contain less than about 35% forages will result in milk of low fat content.
Usually, forages are grown on the farm. They may be grazed directly or harvested and preserved as hay or silage. Forages tend to be one of the cheaper sources of feed for cows. Depending on the stage of lactation, they should contribute from almost 100% (for non-lactating cows) to no less than 35% (for cows in early lactation) of their ration dry matter.
From a nutritional standpoint, forages may range from very good (lush young grass, legume at a vegetative stage of maturity) to very poor feeds (straw, some browse). Nevertheless, all of them can be used advantageously, provided: a) they are properly prepared and supplemented and b) the good quality forages are saved for the animals with high requirements (early lactating dairy cows) and the lower quality forages are fed to the animals with lower requirements.
Role of cultivated fodders:
1. Feed & fodder cost constitute about 60-70% of cost of milk production thus cultivated fodder has an important role in meeting requirement of various nutrients & roughage in our country to produce milk most economically as compared to concentrates.
2. It needs feed, which not only meet nutrient requirement but fills the rumen to satisfy the animal.
3. In view of microbial digestion system, feeds have to meet requirement of cattle maintenance, production and requirement of microbes to promote digestion.
4. Fodder crops provide all the critical elements like highly digestible protein, carbohydrates, fats and minerals. Green fodders are a very good source of B-carotene (precursor of vitamin A).
5. Common cereal fodder crops like CO4, Maize, Sorghum and Oats are rich in energy and the leguminous crops like Lucerne, Berseem & Cowpea are rich in proteins.
6. Leguminous crops, like Berseem, Lucerne & Cowpea, are a good source of major µ minerals, so critical for rumen microbes as well as animal system.
7. Fodder cultivation has been traditional in most parts of the country since farmers feel that the fodder crops have some factor, which keeps the animal healthy and productive. And hence since generations farmers have marked out certain varieties and crops for fodder production and cultivate these, depending on availability of land and water.
8. Cultivated fodder crops have a place of importance for feeding of ruminants in view of the following aspects:
a) In view of the peculiar digestive system, provided by nature, ruminants need feeds, which not only meet their nutritional requirements but also fill the rumen and satisfy the animal.
b) In view of microbial digestion system the feeds have to meet requirements of the animal, its production as well as the needs of microbes for promoting digestion.
c) The fodder crops meet these requirements very effectively and hence are important for ruminant production system. As evident from reports that mixed with coarse roughages, like wheat straw, its intake and digestion are improved.
Importance of Forage Quality
Forage quality is defined as the sum total of the plant constituents that influence an animal’s use of the feed. Fac¬tors which determined forage quality include the follow¬ing:
Palatability:
It represents the extent of animal tendency to eat the forage and may influenced by texture, leafiness, moisture content, pest infestation or compounds that cause a forage to taste sweet, sour or salty.
Intake:
It indicates forage quality which is eaten by ani¬mal.
Digestibility:
It indicates the extent to which forage is absorbed as it passes through an animal’s digestive tract.
Nutritive content:
It indicates the level of nutrients which digested forage provides.
It is one of the highest yielding perennial tropical fodder grasses. The characteristic features of CO-4 fodder grass are: profuse tillering, high yield potential, high dry matter and crude protein content, quick regeneration capacity, high leaf to stem ratio, high palatability, free from pest and diseases and low in adverse factors. It recorded an average green fodder of 350 -400 t/ha/yr under local conditions. This grass is propagated through root-slips or stem-cuttings and could be maintained as a perennial crop up to 4 - 5 years. Endowed with quick regeneration capacity, it can be harvested once in 35 - 45 days.
Season : Throughout the year in all districts Hybrids recommended : CO-4
Yield Potential and Quality Characters
Characters CO 4
Green fodder yield (t/ha/yr) 400
Dry matter yield (t/ha/yr) 65.12
Crude protein yield (t/ha) 5.40
Mean plant height (cm) 300 - 360
No. of leaves per clump 450
No. of tillers per clump 30 - 40
Leaf-stem ratio 0.70
Leaf width (cm) 3.00 - 4.20
Leaf length (cm) 80 - 95
Dry matter (%) 17.08
Crude protein (%) 10.5
Calcium (%) 0.86
Phosphorus (%) 0.24
Oxalate (%) 2.51
IVDMD (%) 60
PREPARATORY CULTIVATION
1. PLOUGHING
Plough with an iron plough two to three times to obtain good tilth.
2. APPLICATION OF FYM
25 t/ha
3. FORMING RIDGES
Form ridges and furrows using a ridger, 60 cm apart.
4. APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS
i. Apply NPK fertilizers as per soil test recommendation as for as possible. If soil testing is not done, follow the blanket recommendations of 150:50:40 of NPK in kg/ha.
ii. Apply full dose of P,K and 50% N basally before planting. Top dressing of 50% N on 30 DAS.
iii. Repeat the basal application of 75 kg N/cut for sustaining higher yield
iv. Application of Azospirillum (2000g) and phosphobacterium (2000g) or Azophos (4000g) along with 75% of recommended dose of N and P fertilizers enhanced the yield besides saving of 25% of fertilizer dose.
5. PLANTING
i. Irrigate through the furrows and plant one rooted slip/stem cutting per hill.
ii. Spacing 50 x 50 cm and 40,000 planting material are required to plant one ha.
iii. As a mixed crop, 3 rows of Cumbu Napier Hybrid and one row of Desmanthus can be raised to increase the nutritive value.
6. WATER MANAGEMENT
Immediately after planting, give life irrigation on the third day and thereafter once in 10 days. Sewage or waste water can also be used for irrigation.
7. WEED MANAGEMENT
Hand weeding is done whenever necessary.
8. HARVESTING
First harvest is to be done on 75 to 80 days after planting and subsequent harvests at intervals of 45 days yields around 400 t/ha.
9. GREEN FODDER YIELD
400 t/ha
NOTE:
1. Quartering has to be done every year or whenever the clumps become unwidely and large.
Contact:
In general, forages are the vegetative parts of plants containing a high proportion of fiber (more than 30% neutral detergent fiber). They are required in the diet in a coarse physical form because they:
- stimulate rumination and salivation, which are important processes in maintaining a healthy rumen environment;
- stimulate ruminal contractions and passage rate of digesta through the rumen, which improves the efficiency of rumen bacterial growth
- counter milk fat depression in dairy cattle that occurs when rations high in concentrates are fed. Rations that contain less than about 35% forages will result in milk of low fat content.
Usually, forages are grown on the farm. They may be grazed directly or harvested and preserved as hay or silage. Forages tend to be one of the cheaper sources of feed for cows. Depending on the stage of lactation, they should contribute from almost 100% (for non-lactating cows) to no less than 35% (for cows in early lactation) of their ration dry matter.
From a nutritional standpoint, forages may range from very good (lush young grass, legume at a vegetative stage of maturity) to very poor feeds (straw, some browse). Nevertheless, all of them can be used advantageously, provided: a) they are properly prepared and supplemented and b) the good quality forages are saved for the animals with high requirements (early lactating dairy cows) and the lower quality forages are fed to the animals with lower requirements.
Role of cultivated fodders:
1. Feed & fodder cost constitute about 60-70% of cost of milk production thus cultivated fodder has an important role in meeting requirement of various nutrients & roughage in our country to produce milk most economically as compared to concentrates.
2. It needs feed, which not only meet nutrient requirement but fills the rumen to satisfy the animal.
3. In view of microbial digestion system, feeds have to meet requirement of cattle maintenance, production and requirement of microbes to promote digestion.
4. Fodder crops provide all the critical elements like highly digestible protein, carbohydrates, fats and minerals. Green fodders are a very good source of B-carotene (precursor of vitamin A).
5. Common cereal fodder crops like CO4, Maize, Sorghum and Oats are rich in energy and the leguminous crops like Lucerne, Berseem & Cowpea are rich in proteins.
6. Leguminous crops, like Berseem, Lucerne & Cowpea, are a good source of major µ minerals, so critical for rumen microbes as well as animal system.
7. Fodder cultivation has been traditional in most parts of the country since farmers feel that the fodder crops have some factor, which keeps the animal healthy and productive. And hence since generations farmers have marked out certain varieties and crops for fodder production and cultivate these, depending on availability of land and water.
8. Cultivated fodder crops have a place of importance for feeding of ruminants in view of the following aspects:
a) In view of the peculiar digestive system, provided by nature, ruminants need feeds, which not only meet their nutritional requirements but also fill the rumen and satisfy the animal.
b) In view of microbial digestion system the feeds have to meet requirements of the animal, its production as well as the needs of microbes for promoting digestion.
c) The fodder crops meet these requirements very effectively and hence are important for ruminant production system. As evident from reports that mixed with coarse roughages, like wheat straw, its intake and digestion are improved.
Importance of Forage Quality
Forage quality is defined as the sum total of the plant constituents that influence an animal’s use of the feed. Fac¬tors which determined forage quality include the follow¬ing:
Palatability:
It represents the extent of animal tendency to eat the forage and may influenced by texture, leafiness, moisture content, pest infestation or compounds that cause a forage to taste sweet, sour or salty.
Intake:
It indicates forage quality which is eaten by ani¬mal.
Digestibility:
It indicates the extent to which forage is absorbed as it passes through an animal’s digestive tract.
Nutritive content:
It indicates the level of nutrients which digested forage provides.
Hybrid Napier Varity CO4
It is one of the highest yielding perennial tropical fodder grasses. The characteristic features of CO-4 fodder grass are: profuse tillering, high yield potential, high dry matter and crude protein content, quick regeneration capacity, high leaf to stem ratio, high palatability, free from pest and diseases and low in adverse factors. It recorded an average green fodder of 350 -400 t/ha/yr under local conditions. This grass is propagated through root-slips or stem-cuttings and could be maintained as a perennial crop up to 4 - 5 years. Endowed with quick regeneration capacity, it can be harvested once in 35 - 45 days.
Season : Throughout the year in all districts Hybrids recommended : CO-4
Yield Potential and Quality Characters
Characters CO 4
Green fodder yield (t/ha/yr) 400
Dry matter yield (t/ha/yr) 65.12
Crude protein yield (t/ha) 5.40
Mean plant height (cm) 300 - 360
No. of leaves per clump 450
No. of tillers per clump 30 - 40
Leaf-stem ratio 0.70
Leaf width (cm) 3.00 - 4.20
Leaf length (cm) 80 - 95
Dry matter (%) 17.08
Crude protein (%) 10.5
Calcium (%) 0.86
Phosphorus (%) 0.24
Oxalate (%) 2.51
IVDMD (%) 60
PREPARATORY CULTIVATION
1. PLOUGHING
Plough with an iron plough two to three times to obtain good tilth.
2. APPLICATION OF FYM
25 t/ha
3. FORMING RIDGES
Form ridges and furrows using a ridger, 60 cm apart.
4. APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS
i. Apply NPK fertilizers as per soil test recommendation as for as possible. If soil testing is not done, follow the blanket recommendations of 150:50:40 of NPK in kg/ha.
ii. Apply full dose of P,K and 50% N basally before planting. Top dressing of 50% N on 30 DAS.
iii. Repeat the basal application of 75 kg N/cut for sustaining higher yield
iv. Application of Azospirillum (2000g) and phosphobacterium (2000g) or Azophos (4000g) along with 75% of recommended dose of N and P fertilizers enhanced the yield besides saving of 25% of fertilizer dose.
5. PLANTING
i. Irrigate through the furrows and plant one rooted slip/stem cutting per hill.
ii. Spacing 50 x 50 cm and 40,000 planting material are required to plant one ha.
iii. As a mixed crop, 3 rows of Cumbu Napier Hybrid and one row of Desmanthus can be raised to increase the nutritive value.
6. WATER MANAGEMENT
Immediately after planting, give life irrigation on the third day and thereafter once in 10 days. Sewage or waste water can also be used for irrigation.
7. WEED MANAGEMENT
Hand weeding is done whenever necessary.
8. HARVESTING
First harvest is to be done on 75 to 80 days after planting and subsequent harvests at intervals of 45 days yields around 400 t/ha.
9. GREEN FODDER YIELD
400 t/ha
NOTE:
1. Quartering has to be done every year or whenever the clumps become unwidely and large.
Contact:
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