Department of Agronomy, Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology, Kumarganj, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh, 224229
1 Present address: GSM Division, Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh 284003
A field experiment was conducted during the rainy (kharif) season of 1998 and 1999, to study the effect of intercrops, levels of nitrogen and harvesting time on yield and quality of forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] under rainfed conditions. Sorghum intercropped with cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.] recorded significantly higher yield and quality of forage sorghum compared with sorghum alone and sorghum intercropped with clusterbean [Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taubert]. Nitrogen @ 80 kg/ha significantly increased the yield and quality of forage over the control and 40 kg N/ha. Forage and crude protein yields of sorghum were significantly increased when the harvesting was done at 75 days after sowing over harvesting at 45 days, but being at par with the harvesting at 60 days.
Sorghum, Cowpea, Clusterbean, Harvesting time, Forage yield and quality
