Production Performance and Economics of Forage Cropping Systems under Irrigated Condition of Western Maharashtra

Green forages have important role in livestock sector as they are the main source of nutrition. Even then there is always deficit in green fodder supply as against the demand. Out of the total cultivated land at national level, area under fodder crops is about 4%. Under these circumstances the only way is to increase the productivity of fodder crops by adopting best forage cropping system. Growing of cereal-legume fodder crops, as intercrop, mixed crop and sequence crop increase the fodder production and also help to meet the balanced diet for livestock.

A field study was conducted at Central Research Station of BAIF Development Research Foundation, Urulikanchan in three successive years from 2013-14 to 2015-16. The experiment was laid in a randomized block design with four replications and six different forage cropping systems. The experiment was conducted in light gravel soil.

Among the six different cropping systems studied, significantly higher green fodder yield of 792 q/ha/year, net monetary returns of Rs. 92891/ha/year and benefit-cost ratio of 1.92 was recorded in intercropping sequence of maize + cowpea (kharif), oat + berseem (rabi) and bajra + cowpea (summer). This cropping system has confirmed more fodder production from the cereal and legume inter crops with further additional benefits of provision of high quality fodder and net monetary returns.