Standardization of seed ball media for fodder sorghum to increase green cover and fodder availability in degraded lands

Abstract

Fodder sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) is a tall, erect annual grass. It is a drought resistant crop due to its effective root system. A seed ball is one of the low-cost technologies which was prepared with locally available materials on the farm. In seed balls, the seeds are protected from external factors. At the same time, vigorous seedling was established through seed ball. In order to improve the degraded lands with green cover, the following experiment was framed and carried out. Seed balls were pre-pared with a combination of red soil and vermicompost at different ratios with 230-250ml of water per kg of medium to get an optimum size and quality. After the preparation, seed balls were shade dried for 24-36 hrs. Among the different ratio of media combinations, 2:1 and 4:2 ratio was found to be the best media for seed balls preparation with good physical and physiological qualities. The maximum seedling quality parameters speed of germination (7.6), germination (98%), root length (10.6 cm), shoot length (19.4 cm) and vigour index (2900) obtained in the present study were due to vermicompost, which contained an optimum concentration of nutrients that helped improve the seedling vigour. This experiment confirmed that using seed balls with best media combinations for the regeneration of degraded lands was very effective.