This presentation had made for farmers training program-me.

1. FORAGE PRODUCTION
TECHNOLOGY IN WEST
BENGAL
Speaker: Md. Hedayetullah
Department Of Agronomy,
Faculty of Agriculture,
Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya,
Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal

2. PROBLEM AND
PROSPECTS OF FORAGE
CULTIVATION IN WEST
BENGAL

3. Water requirement:
1 Forage crops needs very low
amount of water.
2 It can survive in water stress
condition
3 wide adaptability
4 If irrigation possible then 2-3
cuts may takes.

4. MAJOR CONSTRAINTS
1. Non-availability of suitable land for forage
crops.
2. Inadequate genetic resource base
3. Lack of high yielding varieties
4. Lack of appropriate cropping system for
marginal areas.
5. Inadequate availability of quality seeds

5. 6. Wide gap between technology
generation and its transfer to users
7. Poor productivity of existing livestock.
8. Lack of farmers motivation in growing
fodder.
9. Absence of marketing and processing
facilities for milk and milk products etc.

6. PROSPECTS
Suitable agro ecological situation
Availability of rangeland, pasture lands,
forest grazing areas.
Low water requirements
Adverse soil conditions
Lower nutritional demand
Low cultivation cost
Widely adopted

7. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY FORAGE
GRASSES
SORGHUM(JOWAR)
Time of sowing: June- July
Seed rate: 40-50kg/ha
Varieties: Meethi Sudan, Raj Chari, PC-6,
PC-9, PC-23
Yield: 65-85 t/ha green fodder

8. Maize
Time of sowing: May - July
Seed rate: 40-50kg/ha
Manuring: 10 t/ha FYM, NPK= 60:40:40
Varieties: African Tall, J 1006, Vijay,
Moti, Jawahar
Yield: 50-55 t/ha green fodder
Nutritive value: Cp % = 6.74 and CF =
85.95

9. JOB’S TEAR OR COIX
Time of sowing: Any time of the year
except winter months
Soils: tolerant to salinity.
Seed rate: 40 kg/ha
Varieties: Bidhan Coix no. 1
PC-9, PC-23
Manuring: FYM= 10-15t/ha. NPK=
80:50:40
Yield: 6-7 metric tonne/ ha

10. OATS
Time of sowing: Oct.- Nov.
Seed rate: 80-100kg/ha
Varieties: OS-6, Kent, UPO 212, UPO 94,
PO 3
Manuring: 10 t/ha FYM, NPK = 90-
120:40:40
Yield: 40-57 t/ha green fodder
Nutritive value: CP% =5.7, CF% = 35.7
Crop mixture=metha, senji, berseem,

11. HYBRID NAPIER
Time of sowing: June- July, Troughout
the year except cold month(December
and january)
Seed rate: 40000 setts/ha
Yield: 1500-1800 q/ha green fodder
Variety: Pusa gaint, NB-21, IGFRI-3,
IGFRI-6, 7, 10, BN-1, 2, 4, 6 and Co-1

12. Water grass or para grass or buffalo grass
Time of sowing: June- July
Method of planting: rooted slip, stem
cutting(15-30 cm long)
Seed rate: 30000-40000 setts/ha
Varieties: Local available varieties.
Manuring: 10-15 t/ha FYM, NPK =
200:50:50
Yield: 1200-1500 q/ ha

13. FODDER MAIZE

14. WATER GRASS OR PARA GRASS

15. OATS

16. PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY FORAGE
LEGUMES
LUCERNE
Queen of fodder crops or green gold.
Time of sowing: Oct- Nov.
Seed rate: 20-25 kg/ha
Varieties: Anand-2, T-9, Chetak
Yield: 400-600 q/ ha
Manuring: 10 t/ha FYM, NPK= 20:60-
80:30

17. Nutritive value:
CP% = 19.90
CF% = 29.51
Number of cut: 4-5 as annual
7-8 cuts as perennial.

18. BERSEEM
King of fodder crops
Time of sowing: Nov.-Dec
of first week in WB.
Seed rate: 20-25 kg/ha
Varieties: Mescavi, wardan
etc
Yield: 1000-1200 q/ ha
Manuring: 10 t/ha FYM,
NPK= 20:60-80:30

19. RICE BEAN
Time of sowing: June- Sep.
Seed rate: 40-60 kg/ha
Varieties: Dagore Rani, S-8, S-9, K-1
Manuring: 5 t/ha FYM, NPK= 20:40:20
Yield: 200-350 q/ ha
CROP mixture: Maize, jower, bajra etc
Nutritive value: CP%= 16.9, CF=30.6

20. COWPEA
Time of sowing: June- July
Seed rate: 40-50 kg/ha
Varieties: Russian Giant, UPC-287, UPC
5286, C-30
Manuring: 5 t/ha, NPK= 20:40:20
Yield: 250-450 q/ ha
Nutritive value: CP%= 15.77, CF=20.11

21. LUCERNE

22. RICE BEAN

27. THANK YOU