Season and Varierties

Yield Potential and Quality Characters

PREPARATORY CULTIVATION

1. SOIL TYPE
     
Well drained soil with high calcium content is suitable.

2. PLOUGHING
     
Plough the field twice or thrice with an iron plough to ensure good tilth.

3. APPLICATION OF FYM
     
5 t/ha

4. APPLICATION OF FERTILIZER

a.   Apply NPK fertilizers as per soil test recommendations. If the soil test is not done, follow the blanket recommendation of 25: 40: 20   kg N, P and  K per hectare.
b.   Basal dressing:  Apply full dose of NPK before sowing.
c.   Top dressing:  After every harvest apply 25 kg N/ha during the rainy season.

5. SOWING

a.     Seed rate: 6 - 8 kg/ha or 40,000 rooted slips/ha.
b.     Spacing:  50 x 30 cm.

Fresh seeds have dormancy for 6 - 8 months. To break dormancy, soak the seeds in 1 %  potassium nitrate solution for 48 hours prior to sowing.

6. WEED MANAGEMENT

Hand weeding can be done as and when necessary.

7. HARVEST

First cut on 70th or 75th day after sowing and subsequent 4 - 6 cuts depending on growth.

8. INTER CROPPING

Highly drought resistant legume fodder, Kolukattai grass can be intercropped with Stylosanthes scabra in the ratio of 3:1.

9. GREEN FODDER YIELD:

A pure crop yields 40 t/ha/year in  4 - 6 cuts.