THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Stressing the importance of green fodder production, ‘Kharif Forage Day’ celebration was organised by the ICAR All India Coordinated Research Project on Forage Crops and Utilization (AICRP FCU), Vellayani centre, under the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU). The AICRP centre, envisaged for improvement in forages, earlier released many high-yielding varieties of fodder crops, including the recent Bajra Napier hybrid ‘Susthira’ to the farming community.
Farmers visited the Golden Jubilee Forage Garden established by AICRP FCU Vellayani which is the centre for dairy farmers to experience the diversity of forages that can be cultivated in the humid tropics. It hosts a collection of 50 accessions belonging to 26 species of forage crops that serve multiple purposes. It is an aggregate of different species of crops that can be used as annual/perennial grass, legume, shrub or tree fodder.
The fodder components grown and exhibited include 14 annual crops, 32 perennial crops and four perennial shrubs/ trees. On the occasion, around 40 farmers from the district were given first-hand information on the cultivation of fodder crops with their nutritional quality.
Associate Director of Research, Regional Agricultural Research Station (Southern Zone) K N Anith presided over while Kalliyoor panchayat president K K Chandu Krishna, Dean of Faculty Roy Stephen, grama panchayat member Sreejin Palapporu, general council member Thomas George, AICRP Forage crops officer in charge Ameena M and Gayathri G attended the function.
The planting material of the Bajra Napier hybrid ‘Susthira’ released by KAU was distributed to the farmers during the event. Leaflets on fodder legumes ‘rice beans’ and ‘stylosanthes’ prepared by the centre’s scientists were also released. “Fodder crops have regional specificity and seasonality as compared to other crops. Hence, the possibility of commercially growing grass fodder on rice fallows, coconut gardens, other shaded areas and fallow lands needs to be explored,” Anith said. Roy Stephen assured the technical support of KAU for enhancing the domestic capacity of fodder production to meet the demand and emphasised the need to step up commercial production.
The day was observed on September 9 to popularise and sensitise farmers, livestock keepers, students, industry people and other stakeholders as well as policy makers on the use of nutritious and green forage feeding.