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: bandeswaran@gmail.com

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