Fodder Production and Conservation

LPM (Unit-2)
Fodder Production and Conservation

(Importance of Grassland and Fodder in livestock production)
BY-
Dr. SANJAY KUMAR
ASST.PROF., DEPT. OF LPM
BVC, PATNA
Bihar Animal Sciences University
• Fodder also called provender, is any agricultural foodstuff used
specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such
as cattle, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs.
• "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals .
• Fodder includes hay, straw, silage, compressed and pelleted feeds, oils
and mixed rations, and sprouted grains and legumes (such as bean
sprouts, fresh malt, or spent malt).
• Most animal feed is from plants, but some manufacturers add ingredients
to processed feeds that are of animal origin.
Types of fodder
•Conserved forage plants: hay and silage.

•Crop residues: straw, chaff, sugar beet waste.
•Freshly cut grass and other forage plants.
•Grass/lawn clipping waste.
IMPORTANCE OF GREEN FODDER PRODUCTION
Green forages have cooling effect on the animal body,
It is more palatable and contain easily digestible nutrients,
It provide fresh effectively utilizable nutrients in natural form.
 and slightly laxative ,hence prevents constipation.
Green fodder is the primary only source of vit A for lactation vit ‘A’ is present in the form of
precursor.
• Feed should be available to cows at least 20 hours / day.

• Feed at least 60 % of ration during night in the hot weather (Summer)
• Cows reduce feed intake by about 3.3% for every 2.2degree rise in temperature over 24 degree
Celcius
• The use of concentrates no doubt will give the greatest animal
production per unit feed intake, but this may not be economical in
countries like India where grains and concentrates are costly and/or in
short supply.
• On the other hand animals yielding as high as 8 litres of milk can easily
be maintained solely on green fodder without any concentrate.
• But unfortunately only 6.9 million ha or 4.4% of the countries area is
under fodder cultivation and hardly any scope for further expansion
because of pressure on agriculture land for food and cash crops.
• The current feed and fodder resources in India can meet only less than
50% of the requirement of its livestock population of 450 million.
• The grazing intensity is very high viz., 2.6 cattle unit per hactere as
against 0.8 cattle unit per hactere in developed countries.
IMPORTANCE OF GREEN FODDER IN MILK
PRODUCTION
• . Green fodder is an economic source of nutrients for the dairy animals.

• It is highly palatable and digestible.
• Micro-organisms present in green fodder help in improving digestibility of crop
residues under mixed feeding system.
• It also helps in maintaining good health and improving breeding efficiency of
animals.
• Increased use of green fodder in the ration of animals may reduce cost of milk
production.
• To reduce the gap between demand and availability of green fodder, there is a
need to improve green fodder yield through enhanced use of improved fodder
seeds.
For ensuring year round green fodder production, farmers need
to adopt following agricultural practices:
• Always use certified / truthfully labeled seed / planting material
of improved high yielding varieties of fodder crops.
• Follow recommended package of practices for fodder
cultivation such as land preparation, timely sowing, fertilizer
application, irrigation, weed and pest control and harvesting
schedule.
• Growing short duration varieties of fodder crops such as maize,
sunflower, chinese cabbage, turnip, cowpea etc. between two
main seasonal crops.
• Cultivate cereal fodder crops like maize, bajra and sorghum along with fodder
legumes like cowpea, cluster bean and velvet bean.
• Cultivation of high yielding multi-cut perennial fodder crop like Hybrid Napier
grass in fields and also on boundaries of other crop fields.
• Cultivate guinea grass, a shade tolerant fodder crop along with forage legumes
like siratro / stylos under mixed cropping between trees rows in orchards.
• Harvest the multi-cut fodder crops at regular intervals (30 to 45 days) 10 cm
height from ground level to get optimum production and quality fodder.
• Cultivate drought tolerant perennial grasses like anjan grass, sewan grass, rhodes
grass and fodder trees like desi babool, neem, shisam, kanchan, aaradu, khejri,
subabul and Gliricidia on fallow lands/wastelands/community for grazing.
Forage crops / Fodder crops
• Forage crops- It refers to the plants used for feeding
livestock. It includes wild as well as cultivated plants used
for feeding animals.
• According to definition of forage given by National
Academy of Sciences (1971) “ Forage are aerial plant
material, mainly grasses and legumes, containing more
than 18%crude fibre on dry matter basis.’
• Fodder crops- It refers to cultivated plants or crops , that

are used for animal feeding. eg. Cereals, legumes etc.
Characteristics of fodder crops
Fodder crops should have
1. Quick growth and short duration.
2. Profuse foliage and heavy yield of fodder.
3. Good palatability and nutritive value.
4. Adaptability to varying agro-climatic conditions on different soils.
5. Capacity to ratoon and give a continuous supply of fodder.
6. Presistence and resistance to pests and diseases.
7. Seed production ability.
8. Tolerance to stresses like drought, flooding, etc.
Classification of Fodder
Fodders can be classified into following 6 types-
• (1) Non- Leguminous fodders/ Cereals fodder. On the basis of
duration/ availability of crop it is further of 2 types-
(i) Annual- cereal fodders such as maize, Sorghum, Bajra, Ragi, Oat
etc.
Annual cultivated grass such as Dinanath grass or
Deenbandhu grass.
(ii) Perennials- cultivated grasses such as Para grass, Napier grass,

Sudan grass, Guinea grass
Cont--
• (2) Legumes – it is further of 2 types-
(i) Annual- eg. Berseem, Sweet clover, Cowpea, Horsegram, Groundnut,
Beans, Desmodium etc.
(ii) Perennials- Lucerne, Red gram etc.
• 3. Pasture grasses and Pasture legumes

Pasture grasses- eg. Mollases grass, Sewan grass, Sabi grass, Hariali
grass etc.
Pasture legumes-eg.Carribean, Butterfly pea,Centro etc.
Cont--
• 4.Fodder trees and shrubs-
Subabul, Khejri tree, Sesbania etc.
• 5. Root crops-
eg. Turnip,Beetroot,Carrot, Potatoes, Sweet potatoes etc.
• 6. Miscellaneous fodder plants-

eg. Azolla, Water hyacinth etc.
On the basis of seasons-
• 1. Khariff fodders- Fodder grows from July to October. These fodders
are shown in June- Jul eg. Maize, jowar, sorghum, bajra,
cowpea, guar etc.
• 2. Rabi fodders - grows from October to March . These fodders are

shown in October- November eg. Oat, Turnip, berseem,
lucerne etc.
• 3.Zaid season- March to June . eg cowpea, sorghum etc.
Fodder maize
Lucerne
Berseem
Cowpea (Lobia)
Para grass/ Buffalo grass/ Water
grass/ Pani wali ghas
( Brachiaria mutica)
Napier grass (Pennisetum
purpureum)
Subabul
Important fodders
Common Name (Botanical 8. Subabul ( Leucaena leucocephala)
Name) 9. Sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas)
10. Water hyacinth ( Eichhornia cressipes)
1. Maize (Zea mays) 11. Napier grass ( Pennisetum purpureum)
2. Sorghum ( Sorghum 12. Para grass ( Brachiaria mutica)
bicolor)/ (Sorghum vulgare) 13. Napier bajra hybrid grass (cross between
3. Bajra (Pennisetum napier and bajra)
typhoides)
4. Oat (Avena sativa)
5. Berseem (Trifolium
alexandrium)
6. Lucerne (Medicago sativa)
7. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)
•THANKS

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LPM (Unit-2)

Fodder Production and Conservation

•Conserved forage plants: hay and silage.

It is more palatable and contain easily digestible nutrients,

It provide fresh effectively utilizable nutrients in natural form.

 and slightly laxative ,hence prevents constipation.

• Feed should be available to cows at least 20 hours / day.

• . Green fodder is an economic source of nutrients for the dairy animals.

• Fodder crops- It refers to cultivated plants or crops , that

(ii) Perennials- cultivated grasses such as Para grass, Napier grass,

• 3. Pasture grasses and Pasture legumes

• 6. Miscellaneous fodder plants-

• 2. Rabi fodders - grows from October to March . These fodders are

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