Track 2‐6‐1: Developing Intensive and Extensive Forage Production with Environment Friendly Technologies and Adoption of Mechanization
Description
In India deficiency of green fodder is estimated to the tune of 35.7% and this difference is likely to increase in coming period due to possible decrease in acreage under fodder crops as the cultivated land is being utilized for urbanization and other industrial uses. In tropical countries like India, crop residues from cultivated crops and grasses (mainly monsoon grasses) constitute the basal diet of livestock. But the nutritive value of these grasses is low (protein and digestibility) than the fodder crops and even in green stage is able only to meet the maintenance requirement of animals. A conservative estimate is that around 220 million tones of surplus green herbages is available during flush season of monsoon and can be conserved through ensiling. But due to the low DM (dry matter) and WSC (water soluble carbohydrate) content (2-4%) in such tropical grasses, they results in poor fermentation of freshly cut materials under anaerobic environment of ensiling. A minimum of 7-8% of water-soluble carbohydrate is needed to initiate the fermentation process. Hence, there is a need to improve in the quality of grasses even to conserve them as silage. The research efforts put forth by animal nutritionist to conserve these grasses as silage were not successful mainly due to their low water soluble carbohydrate contents. The use of chemicals to increase immature internodal sucrose levels in sugarcane has been made in some parts of the world. In forages, such efforts may solve the issue of conservation of monsoon grass as hay. Keeping in the view, an attempt has been made to explore the possibility of improving the sugar content of BN Hybrid grass.
Citation
Agrawal, Rajiv K.; Prabhu, G.; Singh, K. K.; Singh, Sultan; Das, M. M.; and Kumar, Satendra, "Effect of Sugar Promoters on Biomass Yield and Sugar Content of Napier Bajra Hybrids" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 34.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/23/2-6-1/34
Included in
Effect of Sugar Promoters on Biomass Yield and Sugar Content of Napier Bajra Hybrids
In India deficiency of green fodder is estimated to the tune of 35.7% and this difference is likely to increase in coming period due to possible decrease in acreage under fodder crops as the cultivated land is being utilized for urbanization and other industrial uses. In tropical countries like India, crop residues from cultivated crops and grasses (mainly monsoon grasses) constitute the basal diet of livestock. But the nutritive value of these grasses is low (protein and digestibility) than the fodder crops and even in green stage is able only to meet the maintenance requirement of animals. A conservative estimate is that around 220 million tones of surplus green herbages is available during flush season of monsoon and can be conserved through ensiling. But due to the low DM (dry matter) and WSC (water soluble carbohydrate) content (2-4%) in such tropical grasses, they results in poor fermentation of freshly cut materials under anaerobic environment of ensiling. A minimum of 7-8% of water-soluble carbohydrate is needed to initiate the fermentation process. Hence, there is a need to improve in the quality of grasses even to conserve them as silage. The research efforts put forth by animal nutritionist to conserve these grasses as silage were not successful mainly due to their low water soluble carbohydrate contents. The use of chemicals to increase immature internodal sucrose levels in sugarcane has been made in some parts of the world. In forages, such efforts may solve the issue of conservation of monsoon grass as hay. Keeping in the view, an attempt has been made to explore the possibility of improving the sugar content of BN Hybrid grass.
