fodder crop

Green fodder is most important for animal feed. If green fodder is not available, the health and milk production of milch animals are adversely affected. By the month of April, we get green fodder of Barseem, Oat (Barley), Rijka etc. But in the months of May-June, it often gets deficient. In such a situation, farmers can cultivate fodder crops after harvesting crops like potato, mustard. Farmers use many crops as green fodder. So let's know about fodder crops.

• Napier Grass: It is becoming increasingly popular among cattle ranchers and farmers. It looks like sugarcane. It can be harvested about 50 days after planting. After the first harvest, it can be harvested every 35-40 days. By planting it once , green fodder can be obtained for 4 to 5 years. 300 to 400 quintals of green fodder is obtained per acre of land.

• Jowar: It is cultivated in North India during Kharif season. April to July is the best month for its sowing. By cultivating it once, farmers can harvest it several times and get fodder. The first harvesting is done about 50 to 60 days after sowing. Thereafter, 3 - 4 harvesting can be done at an interval of every 25 to 30 days. About 80-100 quintals of green fodder can be obtained from each cutting per acre of land.

• Guar pods: Due to the abundance of protein and fiber, it is an excellent fodder for livestock. It is cultivated in both summer and rainy season. Sowing is done in February-March for summer crop. On the other hand, sowing of rainy season varieties should be done in June-July.

• Cowpea: It is rich in protein. Along with this, it is also a good source of phosphorus and calcium. An average of 28 to 32 quintals of crop can be obtained per acre of land. The month of March-April is best for its sowing.

• Maize: Maize fodder is soft. African Tall, J1006 and Pratap Chara-6 varieties are best cultivated for fodder. Apart from this, Ganga- 11, composite maize varieties can also be cultivated for its fodder. For green fodder, maize should be harvested in 50-55 days. You can get 160 to 180 quintals of green fodder per acre of farmland.

• Bajra: Cultivation of varieties like Composite Bajra, Giant Bajra, Raj-171, Narendra Chara Bajra-2, L-72, L-74 etc. is beneficial for green fodder. The month of March to April is the best for its sowing. 160 to 180 quintals of green fodder is obtained per acre of land.

Apart from this, berseem, rijka, oats (barley) and mulberry are also used as green fodder.