Assessment of Leaf Fodder Quality of Melia dubia Genetic Resources for Proximate and Mineral Composition

The present investigation was carried out to evaluate the leaf fodder quality of thirty superior Melia dubia genetic resources. Melia dubia Cav. is a member of Meliaceae family and it's a multipurpose agroforestry tree used for pulpwood, timber, fuel wood, plywood and afforestation purposes. Melia dubia plantation was raised during January, 2010 under NationalAgriculture Innovation Project at Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu. Selection of superior genetic resources was carried out in the year 2016 by comparison tree method. Further screening has been done and thirty plus trees have been finally screened for leaf fodder quality estimation. In the current study among thirty genetic resources evaluated, the superiority of MTPMD 1 was evident due to higher crude protein (17.30%) coupled with increased dry matter production (37.95%). Among the thirty Melia genetic resources evaluated, high proportion of nutritional constitution viz. (N, P, K, Ca and Mg) was registered by the selection of MTPMD 1. This study is essential for successful breeding program and will help in development of varieties with superior fodder quality. This will help to meet the growing demand of fodder for livestock.