Mixed cropping

MIXED CROPPING

  • For improving the quality of fodder, legumes are generally mixed with cereals both under irrigated and rainfed conditions.
  • Trials conducted at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, revealed that legume as intercrop with cereal fodder increased the crude protein content.
  • Crude protein content of fodder as influenced by crop mixtures:

Crop mixture

Crude protein content (%)

Sorghum + legume

13.94

Bajra + legume

14.98

Maize + legume

14.58

Bajra Napier hybrid grass + legume

12.82


Cropping system approach for year round fodder supply:

  • Since most of the cereal fodder crops are shorter in duration, they are amenable to fit in a cropping system.
  • Experiments conducted in Tamil Nadu revealed that the following cropping sequence in a year were found to give more green fodder yield.

Sl. No.

Cropping sequence in a year

Yield

1

(Maize + Cowpea) - (Maize + Cowpea) - (Maize + Cowpea)

106 t/ha

2

(Sorghum + Cowpea) - (Maize + Cowpea) - (Maize + Cowpea)

110 t/ha

3

Cumbu Napier Hybrid grass + Hedge lucerne (Desmanthus)

225 t/ha


Last modified: Wednesday, 14 September 2011, 11:59 AM