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Improving Fodder Productivity of Gochar Lands for Sustainable Livestock Production and Environment Security D. C. Joshi (ex.) Principal Scientist Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur Email: [email protected]

Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

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Page 1: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Improving Fodder Productivity of Gochar Lands for Sustainable

Livestock Production and Environment Security

D. C. Joshi (ex.) Principal Scientist

Central Arid Zone Research Institute, JodhpurEmail: [email protected]

Page 2: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

In arid region of Rajasthan Crop production is not as remunerative because of climatic and soil

constraints and poor quality of ground water

Climatic constraints Low and erratic rainfall (<100- 400 mm) High evapo-transpiration (1500-2000 mm/ year) High temperatures and strong wind regime Frequent droughts

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Soil constraints

Extent of problematic soils in arid Rajasthan• Sand dunes: 4.86 million ha 25.07%• Sandy soils with scattered sand dunes: 5.46 million ha 28% Sandy shallow hard pan soils/ gravelly rocky areas with

thin cover of soils: 1.97 million ha (10%) Salt affected soils :1.64 lakh ha (0.85%) Constraints Sand dune with undulating terrain, prone to wind erosion

Low fertility and water holding capacity Soils vulnerable to degradation with slight mismanagement Productivity of soils governed by low and erratic rainfall Physical constraints like infiltration/ permeability/ surface

crusting

Page 4: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Livestock : Back Bone of Economy

• Arid Rajasthan is endowed with Drought hardy animals, which sustain under harsh climatic conditions and natural vegetation including nutrient rich grasses and top feeds from trees

• Livestock produce milk, meet, wool are economic support to desert dwellers

• Livestock farming increasing at an annual growth rate 4.3% higher than the growth rate of agriculture sector i.e. 2.8%

• Livestock population as per 2012 census • Total 300 lakh : Cattle 61.8 lakh: Buffaloes 39.5 lakh

Sheep 68.8 lakh, Goat 127.9 lakh Came 2.75 lakh.

Page 5: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Source of Fodder • To sustain such large livestock population fodder is made

available from (a) Gochar (grazing land) (b) top feed from trees (c) crop residues, and (d) irrigated fodder

• Cattle: fodder is made available from gochar, top feeds like khejri, bordi and crop residue

• Goat and sheep mainly depend for fodder on grazing in field. • Buffaloes are stall fed• Milking cows and buffaloes: fed Green fodder• To sustain large livestock population for quality and quality

milk, wool and meet products, good fodder in terms of quantity and quality has to be assured

• Among the various sources for fodder, the gochar lands are most promising but grass productivity on these land has deteriorated

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Deterioration in Grass productivity of gochar land

Land degradation The gochar/ oran land have been subjected to degradations by one or combined action of wind erosion, water erosion, salinity/alkalinity

Shrinking grazing land: Encroachment near village settlement for construction of public utility structures like roads, school buildings, panchayat office etc. and dig pits in gochars for stones, mud (CaCO3 concretions)

Vegetation degradation: Four decades ago gochar lands supported good stand of Lasiurus sindicus and cenchrus sp. Grass but due to uncontrolled/ over grazing, these palatable grass species have vanished.

Increasing livestock population

Page 7: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Restoration of Grass Productivity of Gochar

Village level committee be formed to implement the programme

Prepare inventory of physical parameters like topography, soils: texture, depth, salinity, vegetation status: grasses, trees, shrubs, herbs, land degradation severity

Prepare land development plan viz. fencing of site from stray animals, preparation field, selection of grass species, and design for rainwater harvesting may be worked out

Restoration of degraded land and environment besides improvement in grass productivity

Page 8: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Protection from stray animals

Four sides should be provided

Ditch and mound fencing (Width1.8 m x Depth 1 m)

Iron/ Wooden Gate and Chowkidar

Page 9: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Field preparation before onset of rains

Remove undesirable/Invasive sp. Prosopis Juliflora etc. Protect desirable shrubs and bushes like Kair, ber, JalField prepared thoroughly with the disking and plowing

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After effective rainfall in the month of July seeds of Cenchrus grass are sown @ of 5 kg/ ha

Cenchrus grass seeds are mixed with moist soil 3 to 4 times the volume of seed and drilled uniformly behind the cultivator in contour furrows 60 cm wide and 25 cm deep with 1 to 2 cm cover of soil

For rainwater conservation contour bunds at 10-15 m interval should be created

Sowing Grass seeds

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With rains, the grass seeds germinate and within 2-3 months good grass cover is available

Developed Gochar land

Page 12: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Cenchrus species is a perennial grass with 50cm plant height and 25 average number of tillers

It is possible to take 2 to 3 cuttings of grass during September to April

Average dry fodder yield of grass is 4 to 5 tons per ha.

Developed Gochar land

Page 13: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Developed Gochar land

Page 14: Improve Grass productivity of Gochar

Developed Gochar land