FORAGE PRODUCTION

TECHNOLOGY IN WEST

BENGAL

Speaker: Md. Hedayetullah

Department Of Agronomy,

Faculty of Agriculture,

Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya,

Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal

PROBLEM AND

PROSPECTS OF FORAGE

CULTIVATION IN WEST

BENGAL

Water requirement:1 Forage crops needs very low

amount of water.

2 It can survive in water stress

condition

3 wide adaptability

4 If irrigation possible then 2-3

cuts may takes.

MAJOR CONSTRAINTS

1.Non-availability of suitable land for forage

crops.

2. Inadequate genetic resource base

3.Lack of high yielding varieties

4.Lack of appropriate cropping system for

marginal areas.

5. Inadequate availability of quality seeds

6. Wide gap between technology

generation and its transfer to users

7. Poor productivity of existing livestock.

8. Lack of farmers motivation in growing

fodder.

9. Absence of marketing and processing

facilities for milk and milk products etc.

PROSPECTS

Suitable agro ecological situation

Availability of rangeland, pasture lands, forest grazing areas.

Low water requirements

Adverse soil conditions

Lower nutritional demand

Low cultivation cost

Widely adopted

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY FORAGE

GRASSES

SORGHUM(JOWAR)

Time of sowing: June- July

Seed rate: 40-50kg/ha

Varieties: Meethi Sudan, Raj Chari, PC-6,

PC-9, PC-23

Yield: 65-85 t/ha green fodder

Time of sowing: May - July

Seed rate: 40-50kg/ha

Manuring: 10 t/ha FYM, NPK= 60:40:40

Varieties: African Tall, J 1006, Vijay,

Moti, Jawahar

Yield: 50-55 t/ha green fodder

Nutritive value: Cp % = 6.74 and CF =

85.95

Maize

JOB’S TEAR OR COIX

Time of sowing: Any time of the year

except winter months

Soils: tolerant to salinity.

Seed rate: 40 kg/ha

Varieties: Bidhan Coix no. 1

PC-9, PC-23

Manuring: FYM= 10-15t/ha. NPK=

80:50:40

Yield: 6-7 metric tonne/ ha

OATS

Time of sowing: Oct.- Nov.

Seed rate: 80-100kg/ha

Varieties: OS-6, Kent, UPO 212, UPO 94,

PO 3

Manuring: 10 t/ha FYM, NPK = 90-

120:40:40

Yield: 40-57 t/ha green fodder

Nutritive value: CP% =5.7, CF% = 35.7

Crop mixture=metha, senji, berseem,

etc

HYBRID NAPIER

Time of sowing: June- July, Troughout

the year except cold month(December

and january)

Seed rate: 40000 setts/ha

Yield: 1500-1800 q/ha green fodder

Variety: Pusa gaint, NB-21, IGFRI-3,

IGFRI-6, 7, 10, BN-1, 2, 4, 6 and Co-1

Water grass or para grass or buffalo grass

Time of sowing: June- July

Method of planting: rooted slip, stem

cutting(15-30 cm long)

Seed rate: 30000-40000 setts/ha

Varieties: Local available varieties.

Manuring: 10-15 t/ha FYM, NPK =

200:50:50

Yield: 1200-1500 q/ ha

CP%= 2.8-16.1, CF= 28-34.

FODDER MAIZE

WATER GRASS OR PARA GRASS

OATS

PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY FORAGE

LEGUMES

Queen of fodder crops or green gold.

Time of sowing: Oct- Nov.

Seed rate: 20-25 kg/ha

Varieties: Anand-2, T-9, Chetak

Yield: 400-600 q/ ha

Manuring: 10 t/ha FYM, NPK= 20:60-

80:30

LUCERNE

Nutritive value:

CP% = 19.90

CF% = 29.51

Number of cut: 4-5 as annual

7-8 cuts as perennial.

BERSEEM

King of fodder crops

Time of sowing: Nov.-Dec

of first week in WB.

Seed rate: 20-25 kg/ha

Varieties: Mescavi, wardan

etc

Yield: 1000-1200 q/ ha

Manuring: 10 t/ha FYM,

NPK= 20:60-80:30

RICE BEAN

Time of sowing: June- Sep.

Seed rate: 40-60 kg/ha

Varieties: Dagore Rani, S-8, S-9, K-1

Manuring: 5 t/ha FYM, NPK= 20:40:20

Yield: 200-350 q/ ha

CROP mixture: Maize, jower, bajra etc

Nutritive value: CP%= 16.9, CF=30.6

COWPEA

Time of sowing: June- July

Seed rate: 40-50 kg/ha

Varieties: Russian Giant, UPC-287, UPC

5286, C-30

Manuring: 5 t/ha, NPK= 20:40:20

Yield: 250-450 q/ ha

Nutritive value: CP%= 15.77, CF=20.11

LUCERNE

RICE BEAN

THANK YOU