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ESTABLISHMENT
AND DEVELOPMENT
Research on forage crops was initiated in the
Botany section at the Agricultural College and Research
Institute, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu as far back as 1959.
It was identified as one of the Co-ordinating
Centres of the All India Co-ordinated Project for Research
on Forage Crops by the ICAR in 1971.
A full-fledged Department, the first of its kind in
India, dealing with breeding, agronomy and nutrition of
fodder crops came into existence in the year 1976, at TNAU,
Coimbatore.
OBJECTIVES
-
Collection, evaluation and maintenance of genetic
resources
-
To evolve superior varieties of forage crops with
high yield and quality
-
To enhance the green and dry fodder production
potential of important forage crops
-
To identify suitable package of practices for the
improved varieties so
as to maximize productivity with minimum inputs
-
To reduce the anti-nutritional principles like
Oxalates, HCN, Nitrate, Nitrite and Mimosine etc in
forages through breeding efforts.
-
To evolve suitable methods to improve the nutritive
status of low grade dry fodder like paddy/sorghum straw
etc.
-
To evolve suitable methods of preservation of green
fodder for use in lean seasons
-
To enhance the seed productivity of important
fodder crops
-
Collaborative research with other Institutions
EDUCATION
RESEARCH
List of Research Projects: (19)
Breeding
: 5
Agronomy
: 6
Soil
Science
: 4
Seed
Technology
: 4
ACHIEVEMENTS
So far 16 different improved varieties of various
forage crops have been released by the Department of
Forage Crops. The
varietal details are furnished below.
|
Crop/Variety
|
Year
of release
|
Green
fodder yield (t/ha)
|
Special
features
|
|
CEREAL
FORAGES
Sorghum
CO-27
(60-65
days)
|
1986
|
40
|
Thin
stem, ratoonability, drought tolerant
|
|
Sorghum
COFS 29
(Multi
cut)
|
2001
|
170
(in
5 cuts)
|
More
tillers
Ratoonable
(4
times)
|
|
Bajra
CO-8
(50-55
days)
|
1992
|
30
|
Soft
stem, high leaf stem ratio, highly palatable
|
|
GRASSES
Bajra
-Napier Hybrid (P) CO-1
|
1982
|
300
|
Drought
tolerant, high yield
|
|
CO-2
|
1991
|
350
|
High
yield
|
|
CO-3
|
1996
|
350-400
|
High
yield, high leaf stem ratio, highly palatable
|
|
Guinea
grass (P)
CO-1
|
1993
|
200
|
Shade
tolerant, thin stem
|
|
CO-2
|
2000
|
270
|
Shade
tolerant, thin stem
|
|
Kolukkattai
grass (P)
(Blue
Anjan) CO-1
(Cenchrus
glaucus)
|
1989
|
40-45
|
Highly
suitable for rainfed
|
|
Deenanath
grass CO-1
(60-65
days)
|
1995
|
40-45
|
High
tillering, thin stem, highly palatable
|
|
LEGUMES
Lucerne
CO-1 (P)
|
1984
|
80-90
|
High
yield, cuscuta free
|
|
Cowpea
CO-5
(60-65
days)
|
1986
|
25-30
|
Early
maturity, high yield
|
|
TREE
FODDER
Subabul
CO-1 (P)
|
1984
|
80-85
|
High
yield, high protein, drought tolerant
|
|
INTRODUCTIONS
Desmanthus
virgatus (Velimasal) (P)
|
1983
|
80-85
|
High
yield, drought tolerant, pasture legume
|
|
Stylosanthes
scabra
(Muyal
masal) (P)
|
1991
|
30-35
|
Rainfed
pasture legume
|
|
Pudia
Soundal (P)
(Leucaena
diversifolia)
|
1999
|
40-45
|
Highly
suitable for rainfed conditions.
Psyllid tolerant, high yield
|
(P)
- Perennial
Germplasm maintenance
|
CROP
|
Number
|
|
Napier
grass (Pennisetum purpureum)
|
54
|
|
Guinea
grass (Panicum maximum)
|
114
|
|
Cowpea
(Vigna unguiculata)
|
58
|
|
Bajra
(Pennisetum glaucum)
|
102
|
|
Minor
Forage crops*
|
150
|
*
Subabul, Chloris, Pennisetum spp, Desmanthus spp. etc.
SEMINORS /WORKSHOPS/TRAININGS ORGANIZED
: -
STAFF PATTERN
|
Sl.
No
|
Name
and Designation
|
From
|
To
|
|
|
|
|
Forage
Main
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Dr.A.
Gopalan
Professor
and Head
|
5.5.2000
|
Till
date
|
|
|
2.
|
Dr.V.
Manonmani
Assistant
Professor (SS&T)
|
3.5.2000
|
Till
date
|
|
|
3.
|
Dr.M.R.
Backiyavathy
Assistant
Professor (SS& AC)
|
1.4.2002
|
Till
date
|
|
|
|
AICORF
|
|
|
|
|
1.
|
Dr.G.
Vijayakumar, Professor (Breeding)
|
3.5.2000
|
Till
date
|
|
|
2.
|
Dr.
N. Maragatham, Associate Professor ( Agronomy)
|
4.4.2003
|
Till
date
|
|
INFRAFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES
Percolation
Pond : Constructed in New Area at the cost of 1.30
lakh rupees for rain water harvesting.
SCHEMES IN OPEARTION
ICAR
scheme on "All India Coordinated Research Project on
Forage Crops"
FUTURE THRUST
-
Evolving high yielding, high tillering,
Trichomes free varieties in Bajra Napier Hybrids
and guinea grass with good fodder quality and good
regeneration capacity
-
Evolving promising dual purpose Sorghum and
Bajra varieties with higher green fodder yield.
-
Development of high yielding genotypes in
Desmanthes through Mutation Breeding
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Production of sufficient quantity of nucleus,
breeder and TFL seeds of released forage crops.
-
Developing high yielding, highly palatable,
perennial Cenchrus grass for rainfed situation.
-
Development of high yielding Lucerne variety
through polycross technique.
-
Identifying
remunerative forage based cropping systems for sustained productivity
under irrigated condition.
-
Enhancing the production potential of forage crops
by exploiting inter cultivable areas under shaded
condition
-
Improving the quality of leguminous forage crops by
augmenting the fertility levels under irrigated condition
-
Wastewater/sewage water recycling : Inclusion of
animal component to establish the carryover of heavy
metals into milk or other animal products
-
Soil fertility management by exploiting the
atmospheric nitrogen fixation in legume forage crops
-
Assessing optimum time of maturity in fodder
sorghum COFS 29 to avoid seed shattering loss.
-
Improving germination potential of
fodder sorghum COFS 29 by giving different dormancy
breaking treatments.
-
Evolving suitable methods to maximize the
germination potential of different grass seeds.
-
Improving seed yield and quality of Lucerne seeds.
EXTENSION
Technologies for adoption
-
Under irrigated conditions, Bajra-Napier grass CO-3
+ Desmanthus at 3:1 ratio is the best for high yield and
protein rich fodder
-
Under rainfed conditions, Cenchrus + Desmanthes or
Stylo at 3:1 ratio is the best
-
Cereal fodders + Cowpea CO-5 of 1:1 ratio gives
high yield and nutritious fodder
-
Planting 3-4 feet long Bajra-napier stem cuttings
horizontally is more economical and high yielding
-
Application of vermicompost 10 t/ha along with 75
per cent recommended NPK for all fodder crops is cost
effective
-
Sewage water and cattle shed wash water can be
better utilized for Bajra-Napier, Guinea grass and cereal
fodders.
-
Excess nitrogenous fertilizers to forage crops
should be avoided to minimise Nitrate toxicity
-
Soundal and Velimasal seeds should be soaked in hot
water at 800C for 4-5 minutes for better
germination
-
Spraying Borax + ZnSO4 at 0.1 per cent
each at first flowering and 10 days later improves seed
set in Lucerne by 50 percent.
♣
Trainings Organized
|
Sl.
No.
|
Title
of the Training
|
To
whom given
|
Total
No. of participants
|
Period
|
|
1.
|
Fodder
Production Technology
|
NDDB
Staff
|
15
|
December
9-14,
1996
|
|
2.
|
Fodder
Development and Forage Seed Production
|
Animal
Husbandry Department Staff
|
17
|
June
16-20, 1997
|
|
3.
|
Fodder
Development and Forage Seed Production
|
Animal
Husbandry Department Staff
|
17
|
July
7-11, 1997
|
|
4.
|
Fodder
Development and Forage Seed Production
|
Animal
Husbandry Department Staff
|
16
|
July
28 to August1,
1997
|
|
5.
|
Training
on Forage Production Technology
|
NDDB
Staff
|
22
|
June
19-23, 2000
|
Exhibitions
arranged
1. Exhibitions were arranged during Farmer's Day
celebrations in the month of January every year :
Seeds and Cuttings were supplied to the farmers. Pamphlets
on various aspects of Forage Crops were distributed.
2. Fodder Crops were raised and explained to the
farmers in Agri Intex, 2000 & 2001 at CODISSIA,
Coimbatore
3. NSS
activities: Organized of "Field days on
Forage Crops" by the NSS students in different
villages around Coimbatore district during every year.
Radio
Talk
Gopalan,
A. and Raja, D. 2000. Forage Production Technology.
Broadcasted on 29.8.2000 (AIR).
Gopalan,
A. and D. Raja. 2001.
Teevana Payirahal. Broadcasted on 27.2.2001 (AIR).
Gopalan,
A. 2002. Can Forage Crops be cash crops?
Broadcasted on 11.10.2002
♣ Total No. of farmers supplied with
seed materials : 5400
Year
No. of Farmers
2001-02
2150
2002-03
2500
2003-04 750
(upto Sept. 2003)
♣ Planting/seed materials supplied and
total area covered from
2000 to 2003
|
Particulars
|
Quantity
supplied
|
Area
covered
(ha)
|
|
CO-3
Bajra Napier stem cuttings (Lakhs)
|
33
|
84
|
|
Guinea
grass : Rooted slips (Nos.)
Seed (kg)
|
1,76,620
80
|
4.5
16
|
|
Sorghum
COFS 29
|
360
|
73
|
♣
Answering the queries of the farmers in person, over phone
and through tapals.
Contact
Us
Director
Center for Plant
Breeding and Genetics
TNAU,
Coimbatore – 641 003, Tamil Nadu, India.
Phone
: 091-0422-5511200
E-mail : forage @tnau.ac.in
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