ROOPA K. MUTTAPPANAVAR* AND B. G. SHEKARA
Department of Agronomy, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru-560065 (Karnataka), India
AICRP on Forage Crops, Zonal Agricultural Research Station, V. C. Farm, Mandya-571405 (Karnataka), India
*(e-mail: roopakm6813@gmail.com)
(Received : 20 June 2023; Accepted : 30 June 2023)
SUMMARY
The experiment was conducted during July-2020 to June-2022 at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Vishweshwaraiah Canal Farm, Mandya, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka to study the quality content of fodder under different perennial fodder cropping systems under irrigated condition. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design consisted of twelve treatments and replicated thrice. The two years pooled data revealed that, among different grass-legume mixtures, paired row system of B×N hybrid + Desmanthus (2:5) recorded significantly higher dry matter intake (2.41%), digestible dry matter (63.71%), total digestible nutrients (59.60%), relative feed value (119.2%), cell content (50.24%) and lower hemicelluloses content (17.42%) which was on par with paired row system of Guinea grass + Desmanthus (2:3) as compared to other grass-legume mixtures. These results are further evidenced by strong negative correlation between acid detergent fibre (ADF) and DDM (r2=-0.99) of fodder (Fig. 1), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and DMI (r2=-0.98) (Fig. 2), TDN and ADF (r2=-0.99) (Fig. 3), RFV and NDF (r2=-0.97), NDF and cell content of fodder (r2=-0.99) (Fig. 5) and strong positive correlation between RFV and DDM (r2=0.99) and DMI (r2=0.98) (Fig. 4). Thus, B×N hybrid paired row + Desmanthus (2:5) followed by Guinea grass paired row + Desmanthus (2:3) were identified as best perennial fodder intercropping systems for meeting the demand of quality green fodder.
Key words: Desmanthus, perennial grass fodders, intercropping systems, quality contents