Track 2-3-2: Impact of Grass and Legumes on Livestock Production, Soil Conservation and the Nitrogen Cycle in Grassland and Forage Ecosystems
Description
A serious drawback of sustainable livestock production system in Kerala is the inadequate seasonal distribution of fodder production. The quantity and quality of herbage available in the lean dry months from January to May is very low. Therefore it is imperative to develop a fodder production system that increases the availability and improves the quality of herbage in the dry summer months. Intensive fodder production systems based on grasses are increasingly becoming important to the dairy farmers of Kerala. Development of compatible persistent grass legume mixtures could alleviate acute seasonal livestock feed deficiency in dry seasons (Njarui et al., 2004). The major problem in grass fodder cowpea mixtures is the low legume plant density and shading of cowpea by grasses. To overcome this problem cropping systems using optimum cowpea densities and different crop combinations are to be standardized. Inclusion of fodder legumes in the fodder production system is the most efficient way to increase herbage production and quality (Mwangi et al., 2006) and the most economic feed supplement than the commercial concentrates (Njarui et al., 2004 The inclusion of a legume in Napier grass based diet has shown to improve animal performance in terms of milk production because of their high nutrient contents (Muinga et al., 1992). Hence this study was proposed to identify the performance evaluation of fodder cowpea varieties in mixtures with the popular fodder grasses of Kerala for improving the physiological aspects of fodder under open and shaded situations during the lean dry months.
Included in
Quality of Grass Fodder Cowpea Mixtures as Influenced by Row Ratio
A serious drawback of sustainable livestock production system in Kerala is the inadequate seasonal distribution of fodder production. The quantity and quality of herbage available in the lean dry months from January to May is very low. Therefore it is imperative to develop a fodder production system that increases the availability and improves the quality of herbage in the dry summer months. Intensive fodder production systems based on grasses are increasingly becoming important to the dairy farmers of Kerala. Development of compatible persistent grass legume mixtures could alleviate acute seasonal livestock feed deficiency in dry seasons (Njarui et al., 2004). The major problem in grass fodder cowpea mixtures is the low legume plant density and shading of cowpea by grasses. To overcome this problem cropping systems using optimum cowpea densities and different crop combinations are to be standardized. Inclusion of fodder legumes in the fodder production system is the most efficient way to increase herbage production and quality (Mwangi et al., 2006) and the most economic feed supplement than the commercial concentrates (Njarui et al., 2004 The inclusion of a legume in Napier grass based diet has shown to improve animal performance in terms of milk production because of their high nutrient contents (Muinga et al., 1992). Hence this study was proposed to identify the performance evaluation of fodder cowpea varieties in mixtures with the popular fodder grasses of Kerala for improving the physiological aspects of fodder under open and shaded situations during the lean dry months.
