OPTIMISING SOWING TIME OF MULTI-CUT SORGHUM FOR MAXIMISING FODDER YIELD
SURESH KUMAR, R. K. ARYA AND K. K. DAHIYA1
Ram Dhan Singh Seed Farm,
CCS HAU, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(E-mail:sureshsilla@gmail.com)
(Received: 13 December 2013; Accepted: 27 December 2013)
SUMMARY
In India, there is a short supply of about 38 percent green fodder, especially during the summer season. Sorghum is an important widely grown for forage. It is fast growing, palatable, nutritious and utilized as silage and hay besides fresh feeding. Sorghum crop is adaptive to vast environmental conditions and in India, it provides green fodder to the animals for a considerable length of period i.e., from May to November. The quality of sorghum feed and fodder is acceptable for feeding all animals. The sowing time of the multi-cut sorghum affects the fodder supply to considerable extent and hence, proper sequencing of the sowing time should be done in order to achieve maximum fodder yield alongwith maintaining the regular supply of the green fodder. Therefore, the present study was carried out at Fodder Production Unit, CCSHAU, Hisar during kharif season 2009 by staggered sowing of the multi-cut sorghum every month starting from April to September. The results revealed that sowing of the multi-cut sorghum during the month of first forthnight of May produces the maximum green fodder yield, which was followed by sowing during the second fortnight of April. The maximum fodder yield of multi-cut sorghum with sowing during this period may be due to less attack insect pests at the juvenile stage due to high temperature high temperature prevailing during summer months. Therefore, crop had opportunity to grow and develop upto maximum extent.
Key words:Sowing time, fodder yield, and sorghum