The document discusses strategies for enhancing fodder productivity in India year-round. It notes that India faces significant deficits in green fodder, dry crop residues, and concentrate feeds. To meet growing demand, fodder production and productivity must increase through adopting high-yielding varieties, intensive cropping systems, optimal nutrient, weed, and pest management, and fodder preservation methods like silage and hay. Proper harvesting, residue utilization, and water and seed management are also important to enhance fodder availability throughout the year.

1. STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING
FODDER PRODUCTIVITY FOR
YEAR ROUND PRODUCTION
ICAR-NDRI
Submitted to –
Dr. Hardev Ram
Scientist,Agronomy
NDRI,Karnal
Submitted by –
Manoj Kushwah
Pramod Kr. Tiwari

2. PRESENT SCENARIO IN INDIA
1. The agricultural production systems in India are based upon mixed farming i.e.
crops and livestock.
2. Livestock production is the backbone of Indian agriculture and a source of
employment and ultimate livelihood for 70% of the population in rural areas.
3. Shift in the lifestyle of people in feeding habits towards milk products, meat and
eggs resulted increase in the demand for livestock products.
4. The milk production to a large extent depends upon the availability of good quality
fodder.
5. The total area under cultivated fodder is only 8.4 m ha (less than 5%) which is
static since last two decades.
6. The fodder production in the country is not sufficient to meet the requirements and
also the forages offered to animal are mostly of poor quality.
7. To meet out the needs of the ever increasing livestock population the production as
well productivity of fodder is to be increased.

3. 9. At present, the country faces a net deficit of 61.1% green fodder, 21.9% dry crop
residues and 64% concentrate feeds.
10. The demand reach to 1,170 million tonnes of green fodder and 650 million tonnes
of dry forage and 152 million tonnes of concentrate feed in 2025 and there will be
65% deficit in green fodder and 25% deficit in dry fodder.
11. Green forage supply has to grow at 3.2% to meet the projected demand.
12. The genetic potential of high yielding animals can be realized only if they are fed
well with quality fodder.
13. For full exploitation of milk production of dairy animals, it is imperative that
nutritious lush green fodder is made available at the rate of 40-50 kg per adult
animal per day throughout the year.
14. To feed this livestock population. We have to design some innovative strategies so
that the produce from agriculture could effectively be utilized for livestock feeding.
15. Under such situation ,various fodder crops can be effectively used as feed, green
fodder, dry fodder and conserved as silage.

4. CONSTRAINTS FOR FORAGE PRODUCTION IN INDIA
• Less land distribution for forage production.
• Lack of importance given to the choice of variety.
• In irrigated areas,more importance given to the horticultural crops along with
cereals.
• Government agricultural policies favours mainly to the cerelas, pulses, oilseeds and
cash crops not to the forage crops.
• A low amount of research fund addressed to the forage prodution.
• Underdeveloped organizations of forage seed production.
• Less concern of farmer for production of fodder

5. MEASURES TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY OF FODDER
• Cropping system according to agro-climatic zones
Some of the intensive cropping systems have been suggested for different regions.
North Zone
Maize + Cowpea – Sorghum + Cowpea (two cuts) – Berseem + Mustard.
Sudan grass + Cowpea – Maize + Cowpea – Turnip – Oats (two cuts).
Hybrid Napier or Setaria inter-planted with cowpea in summer and Berseem in winter
(9 -10 cuts/year).
Teosinte + Cowpea (two cuts) – Carrot – Oats + Mustard/Senji (two cuts).
Western and Central Zone
Bajra + Guar (Clusterbean) (two cuts) – Annual Lucerne (6 cuts).
MP Chari + Cowpea (2 cuts) – Maize + Cowpea - Teosinte + Cowpea (2 cuts).
Hybrid Napier or Guinea or Setaria grass inter-planted with Cowpea in summer +
Berseem in winter (8-9 cuts/year).
Hybrid Napier or Guinea or Setaria grass interplanted with Lucerne (8-9 cuts/ year).

6. Southern zone
Sorghum + Cowpea (3 cuts) – Maize + Cowpea – Maize + Cowpea.
Hybrid Napier or Guinea or Setaria grass inter-planted with Lucerne (8-9 cuts) or Hybrid Napier
+ Subabul / Sesbania (9-11 cuts/year).
Sudan grass + Cowpea (3 cuts) – M.P. Chari + Cowpea (three cuts).
Para grass + Centro (Centrosema pubescens) (9-11 cuts/year).
Eastern zone
Maize + Cowpea – Teosinte + Rice bean (2 cuts) – Berseem + Mustard (3 cuts).
M.P. Chari + Cowpea – Dinanath grass (2 cuts) – Berseem + Mustard (3 cuts).
Para grass + Centrosema pubescens (8-9 cuts/year).
Hybrid Napier or Setaria grass inter-planted with Subabul or Common Sesban (Sesbania sesban)
(9-10 cuts/year).

7. S.No Name of the fodder crop Name of varieties
1 Maize African tall, J - 1006, Vijay composite
2 Sorghum SSG 59-3, PC-23, PC-9, PC-6, HC-136, MP
Chari, CO-FS-29,SSV 74,SSV 84
3 Hybrid Napier IGFRI-6, IGFRI-10, CO-4, Yashwant,
NB21,PNB-84,DHN6,CoBN5
4 Bajra Giant bajra, L-74, GFB-1, Raj. Bajra chari-2,
HC 20, AVKB-19
5 Cowpea BL-1, BL-2, UPC-622, UPC-5286, UPC-4200,
EC-4216,NP-3,MFC 08-14, MFC09-1
6 Guar BG-1, BG-2, BG-3, Bundel-2, HG 365, HG563,
RG- 1003
7 Berseem Wardan, Bundel berseem-2, BL-1, BL-10
8 Oats JHO-851, JHO-822, UPO-212, Kent, OS-6,
• Varieties
Following high yielding fodder varieties for improving fodder yield per hectare in respect
of existing area under fodder.:

8. • Seed and Sowing :-
It consists sowing time,seed rate,sowing method,seed treatment.
1. Sowing time
Kharif – June-July
Rabi - October to November
Summer – March to April
Perennial – June to August
2. Seed rate –
The seed rate depends upon time, purpose and method of sowing. The broadcasting
obviously needs a higher seed rate than the line sowing.
Recommended seed rate for some fodder crops-
CROP SEED RATE(kg/hac)
Maize 30-40
Sorghum 25-30
Bajra 10-12
Berseem 25-30
Lucerne 20-25
H.Napier and paragrass 35-40k root slips(Perennial grasses)

9. 3. Sowing method :–
• Broadcasting – Farmer generally go with this method.It requires large amount of seed
and production potential is low than line sowing.
• Line sowing - Better method than broadcasting,plant biomass(production potential)
is higher in this method.

10. 4. Seed treatment :-
 Protects germinating seeds and seedlings against soil and seed borne pathogen and
insects.
 Seed germination enhancement.
 Early and uniform establishment and growth
 Enhances nodulation in legume crop.
 Better than soil and foliar application.
 Uniform crop stand, even in adverse conditions (less/high moisture)

11. • Nutrient management
 Balanced fertiilizer application.
 Application according to crop requirement.
 Integrated nutrient management concept should be followed.
• Weed management
 Effective weed control is required during first 25-35 days.
 For better biomass production, one hand weeding at 25-30 days after sowing.
 In forage crops,herbicide is generally not used fearing residual toxicity on the animals.
• Water management
 Summer sowing crops are needed regular irrigation.
 Early sown kharif crops require 1-2 irrigations during pre-monsoon period.
 Multicut forage crops require generally 15-20 irrigations.

12. • Insects and Disease management
 Timely and properly application of insecticides and fungicides controls the insects and
diseases(Regular monitoring of crops)
 Appropriate chemicals should be used in severe infestation.
 Resistant varieties
 Nutrient management
 Time of sowing
 Crop diversification
• Harvesting
Appropriate stage of harvesting responsible for both high quality and biomass production.
 Grasses should be harvested on 50% flowering stage.
 Legumes – Early bloom
 Multicut - first cut 55-60 days after sowing, following cuts on 40 days interval.

13. Year round forage/fodder availability
• Residue management
 Prevent burning of agricultural residues in the fields
 Wastage
 Diversion of dry fodder
 Treatment of straw with urea and molasses

14. • Preservation of forage
SILAGE
It is the material produced by controlled fermentation of crops under
anaerobic conditions.
The fermentation process is governed by microorganisms present in fresh herbage or by
additives to maintain anaerobic condition.

15. Advantages
 Stabile composition of the feed (silage) for a
longer period (up to 5 years)
 Plants can be harvested at optimal phase of
development and are efficiently used by livestock.
 Reduction of nutrient loses which in standard
hay production may amount to 30% of the dry
matter (in silage is usually below 10%);
 More economical use of plants with high yield of
green mass;
 Better use of the land with 2-3 crops annually;
 Silage is produced in both cold and cloudy weather

16. HAY
Conservation of high-quality forages by drying is termed as hay making.
The principle of hay making is to preserve nutritional value of forages through drying it to a level
at which the activity of microbial decomposers is inhibited. The hay making leads to reduction of
moisture content to 10-20%, which inhibits the enzyme activity in the plant to be conserved.
Hay making is relatively more convenient and easy for Indian farmers. It can be done by sun
drying.

17. Advantages
 There is availability of nutritious feed to the animal during the scarcity of fodder.
 Fodder can be preserved for longer period of time because due to lack of moisture content
enzyme and microbial activities are stopped.
 The good quality legume hay may replace certain amount of concentrate in the ration,
thus reducing the cost of production
 The fodders can be harvested at the stage when there is maximum accumulation of
nutrient in the plant.