FODDER PRODUCTION THROUGH AGROFORESTRY:
A Boon For Profitable Sheep And Goat Farming
C.Bandeswaran, M.V.Sc., Ph.D. Institute of Animal Nutrition
TamilNadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences UniversityKattupakkam, Tamilnadu, India-603203
Email: [email protected]
AGROFORESTRY-TREE LEAVESTrees and shrubs - nutrients for grazing animals, especially pronounced dry season.
Browse or top-feed
Goats preferred top feeds better compared to sheep.
Tannin rich tree leaves - modulating the ruminal microbial population, improves nitrogen and reduces the methane production.
Agroforestry systems could be effectively utilized for fodder production vis-à-vis livestock production - environmentally safe system of land use.
AGRISILVI FODDER PRODUCTION SYSTEM
Turmeric - Sesbanaia sesban agrisilvi system
Fresh fodder biomass - 6.12 tons
Digestible crude protein -750 kg
Total digestible nutrients-930 kg/ha
TreatmentInitial Body
weight(Kg)
Final Body weight
(Kg)
Change in body weight
(Kg)Av.daily wt gain
(g)
T1 9.56±0.42 17.35±0.42 7.79±0.42 51.93±2.79
T2 9.65±0.53 24.87±0.87 15.22±0.56 101.47±3.76
Kids integration 60-65 nos./ha. for five months Feeding 40-50% of DM requirement with S. sesban leaves Growth rate - 95% higher without any concentrate feed supplementation compared to conventional system of kids rearing.
Turmeric - Sesbanaia sesban agrisilvi system
AGRISILVI TURMERIC + SESBANIA
AGRISILVI COTTON + SESBANIA
Dry roughages + Tree leaves Increases digestibility Supplies nitrogen Enhance performance
Agri system 1.70 ton grain, 4.25 ton straw or 6.89 ton hay / ha.
Agri silvi system 1.69 ton grain, 4.21 ton straw or 5.58 ton bajra hay / ha.
BAJRA + NEEM AGRISILVI SYSTEM
Performance of sheep integrated in Agrisilvi system with tree leaves supplementation
Details T1 T2 T3 T4
Initial body weight (kg) 8.65 8.87 8.65 8.90Final body weight (kg) 12.80 14.40 14.05 14.90Total weight gain (kg) 3.25a 5.50b 5.40b 6.15b
Average daily gain (g) 36.00a 61.10b 59.99b 66.66b
Dry matter Intake (g/day) 397.35 519.72 527.27 525.33DMI as % of B.Wt. 3.70a 4.46b 4.66b 4.41b
Feed conversion ratio 11.13e 8.62d 8.74d 7.99d
d, e:P<0.05 a,b:P<0.01T1- ad libitum bajra straw T2-bajra hay T3- bajra straw + leaves mixture of Neem and Gliricidia sepium T4- bajra hay +leaves of Neem and Gliricidia sepium + concentrate mixture.
AGRISILVI FODDER PRODUCTION SYSTEM
• Yielded 12% higher dry biomass and 34% digestible nutrients
• Could be fed to sheep (70 lambs/ha) instead of concentrate
feed to curtail the feed cost
Growth rate (55.64 vs 58.45 g/day)
Feed efficiency (12.00 Vs. 12.26)
.
Napier x bajra hybrid grass + Subabul (2 x 2 m spacing)
SILVIPASTORAL SYSTEM
• Dry fodder biomass yield from 1.25 - 4.50 tons (natural pasture) to 4.50 – 8.70 tons / ha / year.
• Silvipasture with Leucena leucocephala + Gliricidia sepium + Albizia lebbeck as tree components and Cenchrus ciliaris + Stylosanthes scabra as pasture components was recommended for greening of wastelands in rain fed condition
PERFORMANCE OF LAMBS GRAZED IN NATURAL GRASS LAND AND SILVIPASTURE
Treatments Initial body
wt (kg)
Final body
wt. (kg)
Body wt.
gain (kg)
Body wt.
gain/ day
(g)
Natural grass land 11.02±0.49 21.60±0.35 10.58±0.57 39.19±2.13
Silvipasture 10.93±0.49 28.68±0.49 17.76±0.47 65.76±1.76
Performance of goats grazed in natural grass land and mixed silvipasture
Treatments Initial body wt
(kg)
Final body wt.
(kg)
Body wt. Gain
(kg)
Body wt. gain/
day (g)
Natural grass land 13.44±1.10 18.50±1.19 4.81±0.25 30.69a±1.14
Mixed silvipasture 13.08±0.39 21.34±0.52 8.26±0.34 50.02b±2.08
Mixed silvipasture +
grass supplementation.13.43±0.63 22.32±0.87 8.89±0.29 53.84b±1.74
SILVIPASTURE - Subabul + Gliricidia
Silvipasture (Leucena leucocephala + Gliricidia sepium + Cenchrus ciliaris + Stylosanthes scabra)
• Lambs (10-12 kg) at the rate of 30 numbers / ha
• Body weight gain / day was increased by 68%
• Animal holding capacity was increased by 50% as compared to natural grazing land during rain fed season.
SILVI PASTURE –PROTEIN BANK
HORTI PASTURE SYSTEM
Dry fodder production potential Hortipasture-3.855 tons Hortisilvipasture -4.410 tonsHortisilvi system-1.282 tons per hectare per year respectively under rain fed condition.
Performance of ewe lambs integrated in hortipasture in lush and lean seasons
DetailsNatural Grazing
1 hour complementary grazing in leguminous hortipasture
Lush season Lean season Lush season Lean season
Initial body weight (kg) 14.140.36 10.660.50 14.460.45 10.780.56Final body weight (kg) 18.660.54 14.690.49 19.900.58 15.870.41Total weight gain (kg) 4.53 0.27 4.030.14 5.44 0.33 5.09 0.38Daily weight gain (g) 50.28 2.99 44.78 1.60 60.42 3.70 56.57 4.19
Lambs (12-15 kg) -48-50 lambs / ha.One hour additional complementary grazing, Gained 20% and 26% more body weight in lush and lean season respectively, compared to lambs grazed in natural grazing land
• The tree fodder available from agriculture land of same unit area will be utilized for feeding animals to attain higher benefit per unit area.
• Fodder trees provide a cheap protein, energy, minerals and vitamins for livestock fed on low quality roughages or grasses and reduced the cost of feeding.
• Fodder production through agroforestry systems could be popularized for profitable eco-friendly livestock production.
CONCLUSION