Tree leaves and tannin-rich browse provide nutrients for grazing animals, especially during dry seasons. Agroforestry systems combining crops and trees like turmeric with Sesbania sesban can effectively produce fodder while supporting livestock. Kids integrated in such a system and fed 40-50% of their dry matter from Sesbania leaves showed 95% higher growth rates without supplemental concentrate feeds compared to conventional rearing. Silvipasture systems using trees like Leucaena, Gliricidia and pasture grasses increased dry fodder biomass yields while supporting higher lamb growth rates and animal stocking densities compared to natural grazing lands.

2. AGROFORESTRY-TREE LEAVES
Trees and shrubs - nutrients for
grazing animals, especially
pronounced dry season.
Browse or top-feed
Goats preferred top feeds better
compared to sheep.
Tannin rich tree leaves -
modulating the ruminal microbial
population, improves nitrogen and
reduces the methane production.
Agroforestry systems could be
effectively utilized for fodder
production vis-à-vis livestock
production - environmentally safe
system of land use.

3. Turmeric - Sesbanaia sesban agrisilvi system
Fresh fodder biomass
- 6.12 tons
Digestible crude
protein -750 kg
Total digestible
nutrients-930 kg/ha

4. Treatment
Initial Body
weight
(Kg)
Final Body
weight
(Kg)
Change in body
weight
(Kg)
Av.daily wt gain
(g)
T1 9.56±0.42 17.35±0.42 7.79±0.42 51.93±2.79
T2 9.65±0.53 24.87±0.87 15.22±0.56 101.47±3.76
Kids integration
60-65 nos./ha. for five months
Feeding 40-50% of DM requirement with S. sesban leaves
Growth rate - 95% higher without any concentrate feed
supplementation compared to conventional system of kids rearing.
Turmeric - Sesbanaia sesban agrisilvi system

5. AGRISILVI TURMERIC + SESBANIA

6. AGRISILVI COTTON + SESBANIA

7. Dry roughages + Tree leaves
Increases digestibility
Supplies nitrogen
Enhance performance
Agri system
1.70 ton grain,
4.25 ton straw or
6.89 ton hay / ha.
Agri silvi system
1.69 ton grain,
4.21 ton straw or
5.58 ton bajra hay / ha.
BAJRA + NEEM AGRISILVI SYSTEM

8. Details T1 T2 T3 T4
Initial body weight (kg) 8.65 8.87 8.65 8.90
Final body weight (kg) 12.80 14.40 14.05 14.90
Total weight gain (kg) 3.25a 5.50b 5.40b 6.15b
Average daily gain (g) 36.00a 61.10b 59.99b 66.66b
Dry matter Intake (g/day) 397.35 519.72 527.27 525.33
DMI as % of B.Wt. 3.70a 4.46b 4.66b 4.41b
Feed conversion ratio 11.13e 8.62d 8.74d 7.99d
d, e:P<0.05 a,b:P<0.01T1- ad libitum bajra straw
T2-bajra hay
T3- bajra straw + leaves mixture of Neem and Gliricidia sepium
T4- bajra hay +leaves of Neem and Gliricidia sepium + concentrate mixture.

9. • Yielded 12% higher dry biomass and
34% digestible nutrients
• Could be fed to sheep (70 lambs/ha) instead of concentrate feed to
curtail the feed cost
Growth rate (55.64 vs 58.45 g/day)
Feed efficiency (12.00 Vs. 12.26)
Napier x bajra hybrid grass +
Subabul (2 x 2 m spacing)

10. • Dry fodder biomass yield from 1.25 - 4.50 tons (natural
pasture) to 4.50 – 8.70 tons / ha / year.
• Silvipasture with Leucena leucocephala + Gliricidia
sepium + Albizia lebbeck as tree components and
Cenchrus ciliaris + Stylosanthes scabra as pasture
components was recommended for greening of
wastelands in rain fed condition

11. Treatments Initial body
wt (kg)
Final body
wt. (kg)
Body wt.
gain (kg)
Body wt.
gain/ day (g)
Natural grass land 11.02±0.49 21.60±0.35 10.58±0.57 39.19±2.13
Silvipasture 10.93±0.49 28.68±0.49 17.76±0.47 65.76±1.76

12. Treatments Initial body wt
(kg)
Final body wt.
(kg)
Body wt. Gain
(kg)
Body wt. gain/
day (g)
Natural grass land 13.44±1.10 18.50±1.19 4.81±0.25 30.69a±1.14
Mixed silvipasture 13.08±0.39 21.34±0.52 8.26±0.34 50.02b±2.08
Mixed silvipasture +
grass supplementation.
13.43±0.63 22.32±0.87 8.89±0.29 53.84b±1.74

13. SILVIPASTURE - Subabul + Gliricidia
Silvipasture (Leucena leucocephala + Gliricidia sepium +
Cenchrus ciliaris + Stylosanthes scabra)
• Lambs (10-12 kg) at the
rate of 30 numbers / ha
• Body weight gain / day
was increased by 68%
• Animal holding capacity
was increased by 50% as
compared to natural
grazing land during rain
fed season.

14. SILVI PASTURE –PROTEIN BANK

15. Dry fodder production
potential
Hortipasture-3.855 tons
Hortisilvipasture -4.410
tons
Hortisilvi system-1.282
tons per hectare per year
respectively under rain
fed condition.

16. Details
Natural Grazing
1 hour complementary grazing
in leguminous hortipasture
Lush
season Lean season Lush season Lean season
Initial body weight
(kg) 14.140.36 10.660.50 14.460.45 10.780.56
Final body weight
(kg) 18.660.54 14.690.49 19.900.58 15.870.41
Total weight gain
(kg) 4.53 0.27 4.030.14 5.44 0.33 5.09 0.38
Daily weight gain
(g) 50.28 2.99 44.78 1.60 60.42 3.70 56.57 4.19
Lambs (12-15 kg) -48-50 lambs / ha.
One hour additional complementary grazing,
Gained 20% and 26% more body weight in lush and lean season
respectively, compared to lambs grazed in natural grazing land

17. • The tree fodder available from agriculture land of same
unit area will be utilized for feeding animals to attain
higher benefit per unit area.
• Fodder trees provide a cheap protein, energy, minerals
and vitamins for livestock fed on low quality roughages
or grasses and reduced the cost of feeding.
• Fodder production through agroforestry systems could
be popularized for profitable eco-friendly livestock
production.