S. PARVATHY, C. R. NEERAJA AND JAISYMOL THOMAS
Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sadanandapuram, Kollam-691 531, Kerala Agricultural University (Kerala), India
Department of Statistics, Bishop Abraham Memorial College, Thuruthicad, Mallappally, Pathanamthitta (Kerala), India
*(e-mail: parvathy.sumana@kau.in)
(Received: 10 September 2025; Accepted: 27 September 2025)
SUMMARY
An on-farm trial was conducted over two consecutive years, 2023-24 and 2024-25, in Velamanoor, Kareepra and Pattazhy Panchayat of Kollam district, under the ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kollam. The objective was to assess the effect of the new fodder variety ‘Susthira,’ released in 2021 by Kerala Agricultural University, on the production parameters of crossbred cattle during the summer season. During the assessment period (2023-2025), selected farmers from each panchayat were provided with 30,000 slips of the Bajra Napier fodder variety ‘Susthira’ as part of the experiment. The trial was a lactation study carried out on twelve crossbred Jersey cows in their second lactation period, divided into two groups of six animals each, for the two-year study. The treatment group was fed the Bajra Napier fodder variety ‘Susthira,’ while the control group was given the Super Napier (SN) Pak Chong-1 variety. The feeding trial lasted for 90 days. Milk yield was recorded separately for morning and evening sessions, and the total daily yield was calculated over three months, from February to April, in both years. During the assessment period, the production parameters of the treatment group (T) were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the control group (C), indicating that ‘Susthira’ fodder is ideal for milch animals and contributes to improved daily milk yield and overall milk production parameters during the summer season.
Key words: Dairy cattle, green fodder, Susthira, Super Napier, production parameters, B:C ratio