GROWTH, YIELD AND ECONOMICS OF MULTICUT FODDER
SORGHUM (SORGHUM SUDANENSE L.) AS INFLUENCED BY DIFFERENT SEED RATES AND NITROGEN LEVELS
K. S. SOMASHEKAR*, B. G. SHEKARA, K. N. KALYANAMURTHY AND H. C. LOHITHASWA
Department of Agronomy
University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK,
Bangalore (Karnataka), India
*(e-mail : somashekar.ks18@gmail.com)
(Received : 15 January 2015; Accepted : 16 February 2015)
SUMMARY
A field experiment was conducted at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Visweswaraiah Canal
Farm, Mandya (Karnataka) during kharif seasons of 2011-12 to study the response of multicut fodder sorghum to different seed rates and nitrogen levels under protective irrigated condition. The experiment consisting of 12 treatments was tested in randomized complete block design with factorial concept replicated three times. The mean of four cuts data indicated that seed rate of 7.5 kg/ha with the application of 30 kg N/ha recorded significantly higher green fodder (79.88 and 76.46 t/ha, respectively) and dry matter yield (18.51 and 17.04 t/ha, respectively) and growth parameters like plant height (153.34 and 149.45 cm), number of tillers/m row length (77.51 and 72.28, respectively), leaf : stem ratio (0.26 and 0.25, respectively), net returns (Rs. 35018 and 31285/ha, respectively) and B : C ratio (2.40 and 2.20, respectively).
Key words: Fodder sorghum, green forage yield, dry matter yield, plant height