1 Identification of Fodder Crops
IDENTIFICATION AND STUDY OF FODDER CROPS
Md. Hasanuzzaman, PhD Associate Professor Department of Agronomy Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Email: [email protected]
Feed stuffs may be defined as any product of plant or animal origin, which the animals are capable (without risk to their health) of utilizing its organic and/or inorganic components. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin. Forage may be defined as the edible vegetative parts of plants either fresh or preserved, utilized as feed for animals. Forage crops include grasses, legumes, crucifers and other crops are cultivated, so that either the animal grazes on it, or the farmer cuts it and possibly preserves it (making hay, silage) for giving to the animals. Fodders are cultivated plant species that are utilized as livestock feed. Fodder refers mostly the crops which are harvested and used for stall feeding. Silage is fermented, high-moisture fodder that can be fed to domesticated livestock. It is fermented and stored in a process called silaging, and is usually made from grass and field crops including corn (maize), sorghum or field crops, using entire green plant.
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried and stored for o n l y
using as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats and
sheep. U s e
Pasture is defined as an area of land occupied with forage plant species either natural or s planted by man suitable for grazing by livestock or providing qualitative feed to livestock at ’ the right quantity. Characteristics of fodder crops 1. Quick regrowth and short duration.
2. Profuse foliage and heavy yield of fodders. o r S t u d e n t
3. Should have high palatability and nutritive value. F 4. Should be adaptable to various agro-climatic conditions and different soils. 5. Capacity to ratoon and give continuous supply of green fodder. 6. Resistance to diseases and pests and safe to feed at all stages of its growth without any deleterious effect on animal health and growth.
Classification of fodder crops
A) Green fodder For the sake of clear understanding the green fodder crops are divided into five groups as follows:
i) Cereal fodder: The cereal crops commonly cultivated for fodder purposes include maize, sorghum, pearl millet, oats, fodder type small millets such as foxtail millet, finger millet. Etc.
ii) Grass fodder: The annual or perennial grasses either cultivated or grown in pasture, are the major fodder for cattle. Napier grass, guinea grass, para grass, anjan grass, setaria grass, blue panic, rusi grass, marvel etc. are the common grass species.
AGRO 120 2020 Md. Hasanuzzaman, PhD
2 Identification of Fodder Crops
iii) Legume fodder: The common legume fodder crops either cultivated for fodder or grown in the pasture include grasspea, cowpea, lucerne, berseem, soybean, clusterbean, stylo etc.
iv) Tree leaf fodder: A number of tree leaves are valued for their fodder values and are much useful during lean period when others green foliage are very much limiting. They are also called as top feeds and includes ipil-ipil, jackfruit, bamboo, acacia etc. v) Miscellaneous: This group includes sugarcane tops, weed, mixed forage, tuber crop leaves etc. B) Dry fodder Dry straw of cultivated cereals like sorghum, bajra, maize, paddy, wheat, haulms or bhusa from pulse crops, hay made of grasses, cereals or legumes form the dry fodder for livestock. C) Concentrates By-products are obtained in the industries from processing of materials for the productions of primary products are the concentrates feed for animal. By-products are bran, flours, oil cake, molasses, etc. i) Cereal fodder
Sl. No. Common name English name Scientific name Family
01 Bhutta Maize Zea mays Poaceae
02 Jab Barley Hordeum vulgare Poaceae o n l y
03 Jai Oat Avena sativa Poaceae
04 Sorghum Sorghum Sorghum bicolor Poaceae U s e
05 Kaon Foxtail millet Setaria italica Poaceae s
06 Bajra Pearl millet Pennisetum glaucum Poaceae ’ 07 Cheena Proso millet Pennicum miliaceum Poaceae 09 Rye Rye Secale cereale Poaceae 10 Dhan Rice Oryza sativa Poaceae 11 Gom Wheat Triticum aestivum Poaceae
12 Triticale Triticale × Triticosecale Poaceae o r S t u d e n t
F
ii) Grass fodder
Sl. No. Common name English name Scientific name Family 01 Napier ghash Napier grass Pennisetum Purpureum Poaceae 02 Para ghash Para grass Panicum purpurascens Poaceae 03 German ghash German grass Echinochloa polystachya Poaceae 04 Guinea ghash Guinea grass Megathyrsus maximus Poaceae 05 Buffel ghash Buffel grass Cenchrus ciliaris Poaceae 06 Signal ghash Signal grass Brachiaria decumbens Poaceae 07 Jambo ghash Hybrid sorghum Sorghum bicolor Poaceae 08 Durba ghash Bermuda grass Cynodon dactylon Poaceae 09 Ruzi ghash Ruzi grass Brachiaria ruziziensis Poaceae
10 Splendida ghash Splendida grass Setaria splendida Poaceae
AGRO 120 2020 Md. Hasanuzzaman, PhD
3 Identification of Fodder Crops
iii) Pulse fodder Sl. No. Common name English name Scientific name Family 01 Felon Cowpea Vigna unguiculata Fabaceae 02 Khesari Grasspea Lathyrus sativus Fabaceae 03 Matar Field pea Pisum sativum Fabaceae 04 Maskali Black gram Vigna mungo Fabaceae 05 Mug Mungbean Vigna radiata Fabaceae 06 Soybean Soybean Glycine max Fabaceae 07 Chinabadam Ground nut Arachis hypogaea Fabaceae 08 Jhar Sheem Bushbean Phaseolus vulgaris Fabaceae 09 Stylo Stylo Stylosanthes scabra Fabaceae 10 Alfalfa Lucerne/alfalfa Stylosanthes hemata Fabaceae 11 Clover/trefoil Clover Trifolium repens Fabaceae
iv) Tree leaf fodder
Sl. No. Common name English name Scientific name Family 01 Ipil-ipil Ipil-ipil Leucaena glauca Fabaceae
02 Kathal Jack fruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Moraceae 03 Bash Bamboo Bambusa arundinacea Poaceae
05 Sajna Drum stick Moringa oleifera Moringaceae o n l y
06 Mandar Mandar Erythrina variegata Fabaceae U s e
v) Root fodder
s ’ Sl. No. Common name English name Scientific name Family 01 Sugarbeat Sugarbeat Beta vulgaris Amaranthaceae 02 Salgom Turnip Brassica rapa Brassicaceae
vi) Miscellaneous fodder o r S t u d e n t Sl. No. Common name English name Scientific name Family F 01 Akh Sugarcane Saccharum officinarum Poaceae 02 Misti alo Sweet potato Ipomoea batatas Convulvulaceae 03 Kola Banana Musa sapientum Musaceae 04 Kachuripana Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes Pontederiaceae 05 Shak notae Pig weed Amaranthus viridis Amaranthaceae
AGRO 120 2020 Md. Hasanuzzaman, PhD