EFFECT OF FERTILITY LEVELS ON QUALITY OF SINGLE-CUT FORAGE
SORGHUM GENOTYPES
KENDRA PAL SINGH*, P. C. CHAPLOT**, GOPAL LAL CHOUDHARY, P. P. JANI, RAKESH
KUMAR AND H. K. SUMERIYA
Department of Agronomy
Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture & Technology,
Udaipur-313 001 (Rajasthan), India
*(e-mail: kptogas@gmail.com ; **pcchaplot@gmail.com)
(Received : 16 January 2016; Accepted 4 March 2016)
SUMMARY
A field experiment was conducted on clay loam soils of the Instructional Farm, Rajasthan College
of Agriculture, Udaipur (Rajasthan) to study the effect of fertility levels viz., 50 per cent recommended dose of fertilizer (RDF), 75 per cent RDF, 100 per cent RDF (80 kg N + 40 kg P2O5 + 40 kg K2O ha-1) and 125 per cent RDF on quality of single-cut forage sorghum genotypes (SPH 1752, CSH 13, PC 1080, SPV 2185, CSV 20 and CSV 23) during kharif season of 2015. Single-cut forage sorghum genotype SPH 1752 synthesized significantly higher chlorophyll content in leaves as compared to rest of genotypes under study. The lower HCN content in green forage was recorded in genotype PC 1080 as compared to rest of the genotypes. Genotype SPH 1752 exhibited maximum crude protein, crude fibre and ether extract content. While concentration of mineral ash was maximum in genotype CSH 13. The genotype PC 1080 and CSV 20 recorded highest concentration of nitrogen free extract and total digestible nutrient in fodder, respectively. Genotype SPH 1752 proved significantly superior in respect to crude protein, crude fibre, mineral ash, ether extract, nitrogen free extract and total digestible nutrient uptake in dry fodder. The crop fertilized with 125 per cent RDF recorded highest chlorophyll content and HCN content in green fodder. This fertility level significantly increased content and uptake of crude protein, crude fibre, mineral ash and ether extract over lower fertility levels. Increasing fertility levels caused significant reduction in nitrogen free extract and total digestible nutrient content in dry fodder which were highest in 50 per cent RDF but application of 125 per cent RDF significantly increased uptake of nitrogen free extract and total digestible nutrient uptake by dry fodder.
Key words: Single-cut forage sorghum, genotypes, fertility levels, fodder quality, HCN content