Evaluation of kharif Forage Crops for Biomass Production and Nutritional Parameters in Indo-Gangetic Plains of India

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif, 2017 at Research Farm of Agronomy Section, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with eight treatments and three replications. Among eight treatments, two perennial forage crops viz., NBH and guinea grass cultivated sole as well as intercropped with cowpea and four seasonal fodder crops (cowpea, sorghum, baby corn and maize) were tested. Among different fodder crops, the highest DM content was recorded in guinea grass intercropped with cowpea in the 2: 3 row ratio (25.1%) followed by sole guinea grass (24.9%) and cowpea (16.9%). The yields of protein (14.46 q/ha), ether extract (3.28 q/ha) and total ash (13.07 q/ha) were higher (P<0.05) in NBH intercropped with cowpea. The higher ADF content was observed in the sole sorghum (41.6%) followed by sole guinea (40.1%) and sole maize (35.3%). The higher value of NDF was recorded in the sole guinea grass (71.16%) as compared to other treatments. The ADL was found to be the highest in the sole cowpea (8.68%) crop. The NBH intercropped with cowpea in 2: 3 row ratio produced higher DM yield. The crude protein, ether extract and ash yield were also higher in the same combination of crop.