Evaluation of New Cultivars of Fodder Cowpea in Terms of Growth Attributes and Seed Yield as Influenced by Various Doses and Varieties

Abstract

The lack of sufficient quantity of green fodder throughout the year seems to be a major constraint in the growth of animal husbandry in India. This situation can be improved, if animals are fed with balance and adequate quantity and quality of feed and fodder (Singh and Singh, 2002).The area under fodder cultivation is only 4.4 % of the total cultivated area. Chhattisgarh, the rice bowl of India, has a total livestock population of 12.9 millions, out of which majority of them are indigenous breeds (Anonymous, 2003). The productivity of animals in the state is quite low in comparison to other states of the country. Though, livestock rearing plays a significant role in the economy of Chhattisgarh, yet forage cultivation has remained almost neglected. According to the straw grain ratio of different crops grown, the total fodder production potential of all the crops has been estimated 6932 thousand tonnes for Chhattisgarh (Anonymous, 2006). The green fodder production is decreasing year after year. However, the estimated requirement for concentrate, green and dry fodder is 1250, 16848 and 15042 thousand tones respectively (Gupta and Kumar, 2007). The major part of livestock forage resources in the state is met either from by product (rice straw/crop residues) or from the less nutritious grasses International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 10 (2017) pp. 937-944 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com