Fodder Production and Grassland Management

Multi-tier systems for grassland development

MULTI-TIER SYSTEMS (COMBINING TREES) FOR GRASSLAND DEVELOPMENT

• Silvipastoral systems or the combining of fodder and fuel plantations seem to be the answer for meeting the chronic shortages of fuel and fodder in the country.
• Vast areas of culturable wasteland and marginal forest lands extending over 47 million hectares in the country may be particularly suitable for the purpose Multi-tier system of growing trees and grasses/legumes. The central soil and water conservation research and training institute (CSWCRTI), Dehra Dun and its regional centres have generated valuable information in this regard.
• At Dehra Dun, Delbergia sissoo (fuel), Chrysopogon fulvus (fodder) and Acacia catechu (fuel) + Eulaliopsis binata (fibre) plantations were found to be highly successful in the old terraces of the torrents of the region which are bouldery in nature.
• At Chandigarh, on sloping lands, the combination of Eucalyptus hybrid (fuel) and Eulaliopsis binata (fibre) , adapting tie ridging technique for moisture conservation has yielded 179 tonnes/ha of air - dry mass of fuel and 45 tonnes/ha of grass within a period of 8 years and 3 months. In the ravine lands of Agra, gullied lands were found to support good stands of Acacia nilotica and Cenchrus ciliaris.
• At Kota and Vasad, on the other hand, Prosopis juliflora was found to be good for plantation on gully side slopes, Dendrocalamus strictus alongwith either Dichanthium annulatum or Cenchrus ciliaris is found to be good for gully-bed plantation.
• In the semi-arid deep black soils of Bellary, Acacia nilotica and Cenchrus ciliaris have been found to be good fuel-cum-fodder plantations.