IMPACT OF RESEARCH AND EXTENSION ON FODDER PRODUCTIVITY IN PAKISTAN

Ashiq Hussain and Sartaj Khan

Senior Scientific Officers (Fodder) National Agricultural Research Centre
P.O. NIH, Park Road, Islamabad 45500, Pakistan

Abstract

1. Improved seed production is the major problem for low fodder yields.
2. Practically no work is being done on the improvement of fodder crops except in the Punjab province where the Fodder Section needs further strengthening.
3. There is continuous shift of scientific staff from other disciplines to fodder and from fodder to other disciplines.
4. Lack of training for research staff within the country and abroad.
5. No additional land is available with the Fodder Section for the production of even sufficient nucleus seed of important high yielding varieties of fodder.

Solutions to Increase Fodder Yields

1. To solve the improved fodder seed production problem, an organized seed production, multiplication, processing, storing and dissemination programme must be developed on a scientific basis. The entire area under Government Livestock Farms is put under fodders with emphasis on the production of seeds and other propagation materials.  
2. Lucerne cultivation should be popularized, as its water requirement is less and it provides nutritious fodder throughout the year. Bajra Napier Grass Hybrid and Sorghum Sudan Grass Hybrids possess great potential of yielding high tonnage of green palatable fodder and its cultivation should be encouraged. Ample quantity of hybrids seed should be produced and supplied to farmers. Fertilizer application in fodder crops should also be encouraged to enhance fodder production.
3. There is dire need for initiating intensified research on fodder crops in each province.  The staff should not be transferred too often from fodder to other and from other to fodder disciplines.
4. Special courses in the Agricultural Universities in the country should be arranged with special reference to fodders.
5. In-service training abroad should be given priority in the field of fodder crops research and extension.

Approaches to improve fodder production

There are two major approaches, horizontal and vertical improvements, to increase fodder production. In the first approach, increasing the area can increase the production of fodder. It is not possible, as the country is already facing hardship in feeding the human population that is increasing at the rate of about 3% per annum. Thus, the only way left is the second type of improvement, which means per hectare increase of fodder production. The developments/improvement in various fodder crops to increase fodder production per unit area are narrated in the following Tables 1-3.  

GY and DY denote green fodder yield and dry matter yield, respectively.

GY and DY denote green fodder yield and dry matter yield, respectively.

Comparative green fodder yield trials on various multi-cut fodders

To assess the fodder production potential of various multi-cut fodder crops, experiments on cereal and legume multi-cut fodder crops have been undertaken at different locations of the country. The green fodder yields obtained are tabulated in Tables 4-7.

Table 6: Green fodder yields (t/ha) of various multi-cut fodder crops/hybrids at various cutting intervals at Livestock Production Research Institute, Okara in Punjab.

Cutting Interval                                              Green Fodder Yield

                                                S.S.Hybrid                  Mott Grass             B.N.Hybrid

4 weeks                                     84.28                           88.84                         110.67

6 weeks                                   104.29                         112.21                         121.71

8 weeks                                   164.02                         164.30                         167.76

10 weeks                                 100.52                         123.88                         147.77

12 weeks                                 112.63                         159.89                         169.30

Average                                   113.15                         129.82                         143.44

Table 7: Green fodders and dry matter yield (t/ha) of various Lucerne varieties at Agricultural Research Institute, Sariab, Quetta (Total of 7 cuttings).

Varieties                                    Green fodder                             Dry matter

040                                                      58.73                                       10.75

042                                                      55.31                                       10.50

044                                                      60.46                                       10.15

046                                                      59.53                                       10.25

048                                                      57.99                                         9.75

050                                                      61.71                                       10.85

Sundar                                                 69.85                                       11.85

Type 8/9 (Check)                                 69.90                                       11.00

Mixed Cropping

Different cereal fodders like millet, sorghum, maize, oats and sudan grass etc. contain average crude protein contents of 8.20, 5.90, 6.70, 6.55 and 5.72 percent, respectively. On the other hand, different leguminous fodder crops like berseem, vetch, cowpeas, cluster bean, lucerne, moth bean and Indian clover are the best sources of nutritious fodder and contain 16.90, 15.65, 17.50, 16.65, 17.80, 15.22 and 19.12 percent crude protein contents, respectively. So, mixed cropping of legume in cereal fodder is a good option to increase the quality of cereal fodder. Average green fodder and dry matter yields of oats and vetch grown in various sowing mixtures under + nitrogen fertilizer are given in Table 8. The results of summer cereal fodders + legume mix cropping are presented in Table 9.

Table 8: Green fodder and dry matter yields (t/ha) of oats and vetch grown alone and at various sowing ratio and under + Nitrogen fertilizer.

Treatments                                         GFY                                        DMY^*

-   Nitrogen

Vetch alone                                                     29.40 c                      6.05 c

Oat+Vetch (25-75)                                          37.00 b                        8.50 b

Oat+Vetch (50-50)                                          36.80 b                        8.42 b 

Oat+Vetch (75-25)                                          35.77 b                        7.93 b

Oat alone (100-00)                                          29.20 c                        7.56 b

+  Nitrogen

Vetch alone                                                   29.23 c                       05.86 c

Oat+Vetch (25-75)                                          45.47 a                      10.27 a

Oat+Vetch (50-50)                                          47.17 a                      10.97 a           

Oat+Vetch (75-25)                                          47.90 a                      11.03 a

Oat alone (100-00)                                          44.30 a                       10.33 a

*    Oven dried yields

Means followed by the same letters do not differ significantly at the 5% level

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Table 9: Green fodder and dry matter yield (t/ha) of cowpeas grown in mixture with summer cereal fodders at National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad

Treatments                                                     Green fodder              Dry matter

Maize alone                                                      36.57                           8.50

Maize + cowpeas                                              36.50                           8.00

Sorghum alone                                                  38.57                           8.86

Sorghum + cowpeas                                         36.91                           8.35

Millet alone                                                       32.20                           7.43

Millet + cowpeas                                              32.57                           7.60

Cowpeas alone                                                 35.50                           6.43

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Nutritive Values of Fodder Crops

As forage yield alone is not enough for measuring the feeding values of the fodder crops, the palatability and nutritive values were determined in various fodder crops. Dry matter yield, crude protein contents and crude fibre contents of the fodder crops are presented in Table 10.

Table 10: Dry matter yield, crude protein contents and crude fibre contents of various fodder crops

Crop                                        DM (t/ha)                   CP (%)                      CF (%) 

Berseem                                   8.05                             16.90                           20.00

Lucerne                                    10.00                           21.50                           20.41

Oats                                         11.84                             6.55                           27.07

Barley                                      12.95                             8.20                           24.16

Millet                                        11.05                             8.20                           32.05

Sorghum                                   14.00                             5.50                           28.05

Sudan grass                              10.00                             5.72                           30.00

Maize                                       20.48                             6.70                           35.27

S. S. Hybrid                             22.61                             9.66                           32.38

Cowpeas                                  05.92                           17.50                           24.53

B. N. Hybrid                             51.30                             9.35                           30.50

Elephant grass                          30.00                             9.70                           33.00

Mott grass                                50.00                           10.50                           35.00

Sesbania                                   30.00                           17.32                           25.67

 

Development/Release of Fodder Varieties/Hybrids

A number of improved varieties/hybrids with fodder production potential higher than the old varieties have been developed/released for general cultivation both in the winter and summer seasons. Fodder crops varieties evolved by various institutions (both public and private) engaged in fodder crops research and development in Pakistan are given in Table 11.

Table 11: Fodder crops varieties evolved at various research institutes in Pakistan

Crops                                                                          No. of varieties evolved

Oats                                                                                         9

Barley                                                                                      3

Berseem                                                                                   3

Vetch                                                                                       1

Maize                                                                                       5

Millet                                                                                        4

Sorghum                                                                                   8

Sadabahar                                                                                3

Guar                                                                                         2

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Traditional vs Improved Fodder Production Technology

The national average yield of fodder in Pakistan was 17.4 t/ha in 1976-77 and 22.8 t/ha in 1999-2000. No doubt, quality seed of improved fodder varieties and production technology is available but the fodder growers do not practice these. Hence, there is a big gap between the fodder yields obtained by the traditional farmers and those using the improved practices. The comparison of green fodder yield under traditional and improved production technologies is presented in Table 12.

• Provincial Seed Corporations should go in for increased production of quality seed of fodder crops.

• Livestock farms need to be encouraged for extensive production of quality seed of fodder crops in collaboration with fodder research institute.

• Sub-stations in each division should be established for rapid dissemination/ production of quality seed and package of improved fodder production technology.

• At least one research institute should be established in each province and resources provided for quality research on fodder crops.
• Progressive fodder growers need to be trained to produce the seed of improved fodder varieties/ hybrids themselves.