Nutritional Evaluation of Maize Plant Fodder Grown in Spring and Autumn Season in Punjab, Pakistan

Journal of Bioresource Management Volume 7 Issue 1 Article 9 Nutritional Evaluation of Maize Plant Fodder Grown in Spring and Autumn Season in Punjab, Pakistan Nafeesa Qudsia Hanif AgriPak Labs, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, [email protected] Nadeem Akhtar Institute of Natural and Management Sciences (INAM), Rawalpindi Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/jbm Part of the Agriculture Commons, and the Biology Commons Recommended Citation Hanif, N. Q., & Akhtar, N. (2020). Nutritional Evaluation of Maize Plant Fodder Grown in Spring and Autumn Season in Punjab, Pakistan, Journal of Bioresource Management, 7 (1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.35691/JBM.0202.0123 ISSN: 2309-3854 online This Article is brought to you for free and open access by CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Bioresource Management by an authorized editor of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Nutritional Evaluation of Maize Plant Fodder Grown in Spring and Autumn Season in Punjab, Pakistan © Copyrights of all the papers published in Journal of Bioresource Management are with its publisher, Center for Bioresource Research (CBR) Islamabad, Pakistan. This permits anyone to copy, redistribute, remix, transmit and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes provided the original work and source is appropriately cited. Journal of Bioresource Management does not grant you any other rights in relation to this website or the material on this website. In other words, all other rights are reserved. For the avoidance of doubt, you must not adapt, edit, change, transform, publish, republish, distribute, redistribute, broadcast, rebroadcast or show or play in public this website or the material on this website (in any form or media) without appropriately and conspicuously citing the original work and source or Journal of Bioresource Management’s prior written permission. This article is available in Journal of Bioresource Management: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/jbm/vol7/ iss1/9 Hanif and Akhtar (2020). Nutritional Evaluation of Maize Plant Fodder J Biores Manag. 7 (1): 74-93 NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION OF MAIZE PLANT FODDER GROWN IN SPRING AND AUTUMN SEASON IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN NAFEESA QUDSIA HANIF*1 AND NADEEM AKHTAR2 1AgriPak Labs, Rawalpindi, Pakistan 2Institute of Natural and Management Sciences (INAM), Rawalpindi *Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT Present study was planned to assess the nutritional evaluation of maize plant grown in spring and autumn seasons. For this purpose, a total of 277 (n=130 in spring and n=147 in autumn season) samples were collected from high maize-growing localities i.e. Kasur, Pakpattan, Okara, Burewala, Sahiwal, Lahore and Melsi. These samples were analyzed for different parameters such as dry matter (DM) and Crude protein (CP) etc. It was noticed that during spring season the values of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and starch were significantly higher than autumn season values. On the other hand, crude protein (CP) was higher in maize grown in autumn season. Furthermore, dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and starch were low in autumn sampling than spring season. The evident difference showed that during autumn season, at the time of growing season, the seasonal conditions are tough which gradually become favorable from nutrients point of view. While the maize grown in spring season found suitable environment which gradually harshen at the time of harvest. Therefore, it is suggested to cut the spring-crop early in spring during the month of May-June to have better nutritional value. Key words: Maize, silage, nutrition, energy, seasonal variation INTRODUCTION cultivation. Spring maize can be planted from starting week of February till the first Maize (Zea mays L.), a perennial week of March. Autumn season maize can crop, belongs to Poaceae (Gramineae) be grown from ending week of July which family. The importance of maize ranks at ends in the mid of August. Cultivation of third number, after wheat and rice in maize in spring season is higher than Pakistan (Tariq et al., 2010). It is grown on autumn season. Involvement of an area of 1,318,000 hectares with an annual multinationals in Pakistan has increased production of about 6,309 metric tonnes cultivation of spring maize. The yield of (Economic Survey of Pakistan; 2018-19). spring maize is lower than its actual Its utilization in the feed and wet milling potential due to constrains such as industry is growing exponentially in haphazard use of synthetic fertilizers, old Pakistan. It is grown in almost all major and traditional sowing methods and scarcity agricultural lands of the country. Punjab and of optimal crop stand. The maize grain is KPK are the major maize-producing enriched with necessary nutrients as it provinces. contains 72% starch, 10% protein, 4.8% oil, Maize is grown three times during a 8.5% fiber, 3% sugar and 1% ash (Enyisi et year in Pakistan. However, spring and al., 2014). autumn seasons are suitable for its The nutritious fodder of maize is 74 Hanif and Akhtar (2020). Nutritional Evaluation of Maize Plant Fodder J Biores Manag. 7 (1): 74-93 relished by all kinds of livestock especially nutritional value without scarifying the area the ruminants. Livestock industry plays a under cash crops. In the ensiling process, pivotal part in the agricultural unit of preservation is achieved by maintaining Pakistan. The capacity of the lactating anaerobic (oxygen free) environment and animals to produce milk is below their acidity. The bacteria present on fodder inherent potential. The main reasons for low produce acids that convert fermentable productivity are the insufficient and carbohydrates into different organic acids imbalance feeding, lack of reproductive especially lactic and acetic acids. High acid skills, attack of different diseases and concentration drops the pH which shortage of many support activities/services ultimately inhibit/kills most of the bacteria such as artificial methods of insemination. and other microorganisms. At this pH, In order to meet the demands of anaerobic environment and water seepage dairy products such as meat and milk in the maintenance, the silage can be preserved for country, livestock sub-sector needs to be longer periods. exploited. There are many factors for fodder The concentration of fermentable scarcity such as shrinking of area under carbohydrates in the forage, its buffering fodder cultivation, shortage and inconsistent capacity, dry matter content (DM) and the supply of quality and quantity of animal number and type of bacteria present on feed round the year. Usually ruminants are forage are the main factors that could affect not provided with high quality roughages. the rate of decline and final pH of the silage. These roughages are poor in basic Basic need to make silage is fermentable nutritional value. According to a study, in starch. Any fodder containing enough Pakistan the available fodder production is quantity of fermentable carbohydrates not up to the mark and it is approximately makes it a strong candidate for silage- 52-54% less than actual requirement of the making, but nowadays maize is a well- ruminants (Khan et al., 2014). known fodder to make silage. The local According to the findings of Sultan environment is the primary factor for crops et al. (2007) there is a need of 13.5 and to be ensiled. Studies have shown that the 110.3 million tons of crude protein and total soil, rainfall, season, chemical nature and digestible nutrients respectively to maintain age of plants affect the quality of forage, its the health of livestock. While the present palatability and health of grazing animals available feed sources provide only 40% (Ganskopp and Bohnert, 2001). The crude protein and 75% total digestible nutritional value of available forage is nutrients. There are two periods in Pakistan responsible for the health of livestock. It in which the fodder scarcity takes place. therefore, becomes necessary for the One is during winter months (November to stockmen and crop managers to be well January) while the other period is in aware about the nutritional status of forage. summer months (May to July). During rest In Pakistan, silage making is in of the year, fodder availability is almost practice since last two decades. Maize crop regular and abundant. is cultivated three times a year in Pakistan. The fodder is rich in nutrients and it Mainly two crops grown during spring and can be saved to fulfill the requirements in autumn season, selected for silage making. days of scarcity. Silage-making is an The maize crop is well-studied and explored important technique in this regard (Touqir et with respect to quality. However, the al., 2007). The main goal of silage making nutritional variation during different is to preserve the extra fodder and its cropping seasons has been ignored. 75 Hanif and Akhtar (2020). Nutritional Evaluation of Maize Plant Fodder J Biores Manag. 7 (1): 74-93 Therefore, present study was conducted to calculated by using following formula: evaluate the nutritional status of maize Moisture (%) = W1 – W2 x 100/ weight of grown in different areas of central and sample southern Punjab during spring and autumn Dry Matter (%) =100 - Moisture season. 2. Crude protein (CP) MATERIALS AND METHOD The percentage of crude protein was Sampling estimated by official method No. 954.01. An amount of 2 grms of ground and A total of 277 (n=130 in spring and homogenized sample was taken into a n=147 in autumn season) whole maize micro-kjeldhal digestion flask. About 5 plants were collected from the localities of gram of digestion mixture (100g K2SO4 + Kasur, Pakpattan, Okara, Burewala, 10g CuSO4 + 5g FeSO4) was added along Sahiwal, Lahore and Melsi (Punjab) during with 40 mL concentrated sulfuric acid May to July (Spring cultivation) and (H2SO4).

Load more