LPM 121: Fodder Production and Grassland Management (1+1)

MANURIAL VALUE

• Proper collection and preservation of dung, urine, leftover fodder and other farm wastes is important, as they can be converted into valuable manure.
• At present, more than 50% of the cattle dung produced in the country is utilised as fuel without realizing its manurial value. The urine which is a rich source of K, N and S is also not utilised properly due to improper methods of collection.
• Cattle Manure or Farm Yard Manure (FYM) is the decomposed mixture of dung and urine of farm animals along with leftover feed material and bedding material.
• FYM is a bulky organic manure and it has long lasting effects on crop production and soil productivity, when properly used.
  • FYM contains all the essential elements required for crop growth.
  • These nutrients are present in small quantities (Average N,P,K content on dry weight basis is 1.0, 0.5 and 1.0%  respectively), but they are not easily lost from the soil because they are in organic form.
  • There are no ill-effects or pollution effects because of the use of FYM.
  • FYM is cheaper compared to the cost of commercial fertilisers.  It can be locally prepared with indigenous technology
  • Application of FYM improves the physical properties of soil such as structure, pore space, water holding capacity, etc.
  • It also improves the soil chemical properties because organic matter (humus) has the highest cation exchange capacity (CEC).
  • FYM is the main source of food for all the useful micro-organisms living in the soil. Soil is biologically improved because of the application of FYM.

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