Forage and livestock are integral components of India’s agricultural landscape
(Ghosh et al., 2016). Despite having just 2.2 per cent of the world’s geographical area, India supports nearly 20 per cent of the global livestock population, making it the world’s largest livestock owner
(Patil et al., 2018). With a total bovine population of approximately 302.79 million and a cattle population of about 192.49 million, along with 125.34 million milch animals, India’s milk production stands at around 176.34 million tonnes (
DACFW, 2018). However, despite its vast livestock numbers, India’s livestock productivity remains significantly lower (20 to 60 per cent) than the global average due to inadequate access to quality fodder
(Halli et al., 2018). The availability of green forage is crucial for the success of dairy enterprises and is essential for maintaining livestock health and milk production
(Kumar et al., 2017). Presently, cultivated fodder occupies less than 4.5 percent (8.6 million hectares) of the country’s total cultivated area with an annual total forage production of 846 million tonnes (
IGFRI, 2018). This falls short of meeting the green forage requirement of 1061 million tonnes and the dry fodder requirement of 589 million tonnes, leaving a significant deficit. The country faces a net deficit of 63.5 per cent in green fodder, 23.5 per cent in dry crop residues and 64 per cent in feed (
DES, 2022). Moreover, there are seasonal and regional disparities in fodder production with plenty of fodder available during the monsoon season but scarcities during winter and summer months, particularly in May-June and September-October. To address this challenge, there is a need to not only enhance fodder production but also ensure year-round accessibility to quality fodder for all dairy animals. This can be achieved through agronomic interventions such as staggered planting of annual cereal fodders, incorporating legumes with cereals and utilizing alternative sources of perennial fodders to provide high-quality fodder consistently throughout the year
(Hindoriya et al., 2019). Farmers can achieve year-round green fodder availability by strategically planning fodder production based on available resources, soil type, agro-climate and cropping year requirements.
Jammu and Kashmir region
Jammu and Kashmir, acknowledged for its tremendous agricultural potential and production, comprises of mostly small and fragmented landholdings owned by the farmers. Over 70 per cent of the population in the region depends on agriculture and related activities for their livelihood, either directly or indirectly. Over the years, livestock husbandry has emerged as a vital growth engine for sustainable and equitable development, which is imperative for uplifting the socio-economic status of farming communities in JandK. JandK UT has a precious wealth of livestock in the form of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, horses/mules
etc. Cattle and sheep amongst all the livestock are considered the most important tool for the development of the rural economy. The agricultural sector (including livestock) contributes 16 per cent to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of UT at constant prices. Livestock sector alone contributes 11 per cent of the GSDP which is about 40 per cent of the contribution of the agricultural and allied sector. Total geographical area of the erstwhile UT of J and K was 2,22,240 km out of which 2 78,114 km (35.15%) area lies under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and 42,735 km (19.23%) under the illegal occupation of China. Only 4 per cent of the total cultivable land is under fodder production at present. Jammu and Kashmir has livestock population of 1.79 crores with cattle population and buffalo population of about 34.43 lakhs and 10.50 lakhs respectively (
DES, 2022) and has milk production of about 1486.65 metric tonnes (
DES, 2022). Annual requirement for green fodder in Jammu and Kashmir is approximately 139 lakh metric tons, while the dry fodder requirement is around 58.53 lakh metric tons. Whereas, the total fodder production of Jammu and Kashmir is 86.5 lakh tonnes of which green fodder contributes 61.4 and dry fodder 25.1 lakh tonnes
(Ahmad et al., 2016).
Unfortunately, the availability of green and dry fodder is insufficient to meet the demand. In particular, there is a deficit of 40.93 per cent in fodder availability in the region, with a higher deficit of 48.63 per cent in the Kashmir division compared to 32.27 per cent in Jammu division. Therefore, increased production of fodder is essential to meet the nutritional requirements of the livestock. Further, the agro-climatic conditions of the major portion of the region also warrants the need of cultivating even additional fodder that can be dried to hay or stored as silage for lean periods.
Adult cattle unit
An adult cattle unit is often defined based on the weight of a mature, non-lactating cow. The weight chosen for this standard may vary, but it’s usually in the range of 1,000 to 1,200 pounds (450 to 550 kilograms) (Fig 1). It is often used to compare and quantify the productivity of different cattle farms or ranches.
Adult cattle unit based fodder model
An adult cattle unit-based fodder model is a systematic approach to determine the nutritional and forage requirements of adult cattle. This model aims to ensure that adult cattle receive a consistent and balanced diet, especially in areas with seasonal variations during lean period (Fig 2) and during
kharif and
rabi seasons (Fig 3 and 4) in forage availability. Hence, an experiment was conducted at the Research Farm, Division of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Chatha for two consecutive years from 2020 to 2022.
Fodder requirement for 10 adult cattle units
· One adult cattle unit requires 20 kg green fodder with concentrate per day.
· Ten adult cattle units require 200 kg green fodder with concentrate per day.
· One adult cattle unit requires 40 kg green fodder without concentrate per day.
· Ten adult cattle units require 400 kg green fodder without concentrate per day.
Methodology
The experiment was laid out in randomized-block design with three replications. This model comprised of
kharif annual fodder crops (Multicut Sorghum, Multicut Bajra, Cowpea and Maize) followed by
rabi annual fodder crops (Berseem, Lucerne, Barley and Oats) along with perennial grasses (Napier and Setaria) sown on the boundaries of the field with the plant to plant spacing of 50 cm.
Salient findings of the experiment
Green forage yield of kharif and rabi annual fodder with perennial grasses
Significantly higher green forage yield of
Kharif fodder crops (Fig 5 and 6) was recorded with Multicut Sorghum + Maize with root slips of Napier planted in July sown on April 30 which was statistically at par with Multicut Sorghum + Maize with root slips of Setaria planted in July, Multicut Sorghum + Maize with stem cuttings of Napier planted in January and Multicut Sorghum + Maize with stem cuttings of Setaria planted in January during both the years of experimentation. This might be due to the fact that Multicut sorghum and maize both has high yield potential compared to other
kharif annual fodders being cultivated. Moreover, another reason might be inclusion of perennial grasses with
kharif annual cereal fodders provides continuous supply of green fodder round the year
(Gupta et al., 2022). These results are in close conformity with the finding of
Lodhi et al., (2009) and
Ayub et al., (2013). Among the different forage cropping systems, significantly higher green forage yield of
rabi fodder (Fig 7 and 8) was recorded with Berseem + Oat with root slips of Napier planted in July sown on September 20 which was found to be statistically at par with Berseem + Oat with root slips of Setaria planted in July, Berseem + Oat with stem cuttings of Napier planted in January and Berseem + Oat with stem cuttings of Setaria planted in January during both the years of experimentation. This might be attributed to the fact that Berseem mixed with cereal crop led to more efficient absorption of nutrients from the soil, maximum interception of light energy at different layers and finally better photosynthetic rate which resulted in higher green forage yield (
Kumar and Sarlach, 2020) Another reason might be the fact that inclusion of Berseem with oats have several benefits such as production of greater yield by making more efficient use of available resources, improvement of soil fertility through the addition of nitrogen by fixation
(Patil et al., 2018). Almost a similar trend with respect to green forage yield was observed during second year of experimentation except for that a slight increase in green forage yield.
System productivity of kharif and rabi annual fodder with perennial grasses for round the year green fodder supply
Significantly higher system productivity (Fig 9 and 10) was recorded with Multicut Bajra + Cowpea - Berseem + Oats with Root slips of Napier planted in July and Napier used to cover the lean period during May - June and September -October (Fig 2). It was found to be statistically at par with Multicut Bajra + Maize - Berseem + Barley with root slips of Napier planted in July, Multicut Bajra + Maize - Berseem + Barley with stem cuttings of Napier planted in January and Multicut Bajra + Cowpea + Maize - Berseem + Oat + Barley with root slips of Napier planted in July. This might be owing to fact that inclusion of legumes and cereal fodders resulted in increased production efficiency.
Land requirement of annual forages with perennial grasses for ACU
Among the different treatments, Multicut Sorghum + Cowpea - Lucerne + Oat with stem cuttings of Setaria planted in January recorded maximum land requirement for 1 ACU (Table 1) to the tune of 1029.33 metre square whereas minimum land requirement for 1 ACU was observed in Multicut Bajra + Maize - Berseem + Barley with root slips of Napier planted in July (203.63 metre square). This could be attributed to the fact that this combination resulted in a lower yield of green forage from the fodder crops, necessitating a larger area to meet the desired yield. Almost a similar trend with respect to 1 ACU was observed during second year of experimentation. By and large, 10 ACU’s also showed similar trend with respect to land requirement of annual forages with perennial grasses.
