This document provides information on three fodder crops grown in Pakistan: sorghum, pearl millet, and Persian clover. Sorghum is an important drought-resistant crop grown on 0.3902 million hectares that provides fodder and grain. Pearl millet is a warm-weather, drought-tolerant crop extensively grown in dry regions using broadcasting or drilling methods. Persian clover is a cross-pollinated, cool-weather crop grown in the Rabi season using broadcasting and providing 4-5 cuttings of fodder.

2.  Sorghum
 Pearl millet
 Persian clover

3. Sorghum
(Jowar)
 Sorghum is an important drought resistant
“Kharif” fodder crop in Pakistan.
 It is grown on an area of 0.3902 million
hectares.
 production 17.559 million tones
 contains 12% protein, 70% carbohydrates,
minerals, nitrogen free extract and crude fat.

4. Climate
 Basically it is tropical plant
 Also adapted temperate zone
 Cultivated in semiarid regions
 In rain fed areas cultivated for grain
 In irrigated areas planted for fodder

5. Soil
 Except saline and waterlogged soil it is cultivated in all
types of soil
 Heavy,loamy soil is more suitable

6. Seedbed preparation
 Requires a good seed bed
 1 Ploughing with Moldboard plough
 2 ploughings with Cultivar along with Planking

7. Manuring
 2 ½ Bags of DAP/hec
 1 ¼ Bags of Urea/hec at planting
 1 ¼ Bags of Urea at first irrigation

8. Seedrate
 75-80 kg /ha for fodder
 20-25 kg/ha for grain

9. Sowing methods
 Broadcasting
 Pora method gives better return with line
spacing 30cm.
 Seed crops sown in rows spaced 60cm
apart.

10. Sowing time
 In Punjab
 March-August for fodder
 June-July for Grain
 In Sindh
 In June for fodder & grain
 In KPK
 June and July
 In Bolichistan
 July and August

11. Interculturing & Weeding
 No interculturing required
 If grain crops are planted in rows, they should
be given one hoeing.

12. Irrigation
 3-4 irrigations for March-June crop
 1-2 irrigations for Monsoon crop
depending upon the rainfall

13. Pearl millet
(Bajra)
 Kharif season crop
 Finger millet
 Pollinated crop
 It contains 69% carbohydrates 11%
protien 5% fats.
 Originated from Africa
 Use as fodder ,flour,alcohlic beverages

14. Season & sowing time
 Kharif season crop
 March-August for fodder
 June-July for seed production
 Mid of the July is best for time sowing

15. Climate
 Millet is a warm-weather crop
 Drought tolerant crop
 It is extensively sown in the dry and arid
regions of Pakistan.

16. Land preparation
 2-3 ploughing followed by Planking
 Cultivated on marginal land

17. Sowing methods
 Braodcasting
 Pora method (“Pora” method in which a
locally made sort of a single- row drill
pulled by bullock or man is used)
 Kera method (The “Kera” method of
dropping the seed by hand in furrows
created by a bullock – drawn plough and
covered by feet)

18. Seed Rate
 6-8 kg/ha for seed production
 12-16 kg/ha for fodder production

19. Irrigations
 2-3 irrigation required
 1st irrigation 3 weeks after sowing

20. Fertilizer
 90 kg/ha Nitrogen
 45 kg/ha Phosphorus

21. Diseases & insects
 Downy mildew
 Leaf spot
 Grain smut
 Shoot fly
 Borers

22. Inter culture
 Thinning or gap filling is followed
 Weeding is done
 Application of Atrazine @ 0.5 kg/ha is
profitable to control weeds.

23. Intercultural & weed control
 This crop does not require hoeing
 Seed crops should be kept free of
weeds to get a good return.
 No herbicides are used
 In case of the kera and pora methods of
sowing, weeds may be controlled by
interculture using the desi plough.
 When sowing is done by broadcasting,
only hand weeding is feasible.

24. Verities
 BY-18
 Cholistani bajra
 Rainfed bajra

25. Harvesting
 65-80 days after sowing
 2.5-4 months crop depending upon verities
 The crop is harvested when grains become
hard enough and contain moisture
 Two methods are adopted for harvesting the
crop
 Cutting ear head first from standing crop
followed by cutting of remaining plants later
 Cutting of entire plants by sticks and stalking
the plants for five days in sun for obtaining
grains.

26. Production
 40-50 tons/ha fodder
 1000-1200 kg/ha seed production

27. Shaftal
(persian clover)
 Originated from South africa
 First ornamental plant in Europe
 Cross pollinated crop
 Short height then Barseem
 Purple flower
 Hallow stem & tap root system

28. Sowing time & Season
 October-November
 Rabi crop

29. Climate & Soil
 Shaftal performs well under a wide
range of climatic and soil conditions, but
grows best well-drained, loamy soils.
Light to heavy loam soils with irrigation
facilities are best.
 It requires cool and moist weather
conditions for good growth. It is
generally grown in the Peshawar region
.in KPK, and some irrigated pockets in
Punjab and Baluchistan.

30. Seed rate
 10-12 kg/ha
 Broadcasting on standing water
condition

31. Seed bed preparation
 A fine seedbed is prepared
 By giving three or four ploughing each
followed by planking.

32. Irrigations
 6 irrigations required
 1st irrigation 5-7 days after sowing
 Irrigation interval should be 15-20 days
depending upon condition

33. Cuttings
 1st cutting in 50-60 days after sowing
 2nd cutting 30-40 days after 1st cutting
 4-5 total cuttings

34. Fertilizer application
 This crop is not fertilized
 But 2 ½ bags of DAP per hectare is
recommended to increase fodder yield

35. Intercultural & weeding
 No interculturing operations are done
 No weeding is done

36. Pest & Diseases
 This crop usually remains safe from
‘pests and diseases and no great lose in
fodder yield occurs because of them.

37. Yield
 50-60 tonn/ha
 30-40 tonn/ha in rain fed areas

38. Seed production
 1000-1500 kg/ha
 10-15 Quantiles/ha

39. Verities
 Growers have only local varieties or
crop mixtures.