Fodder yield potential of cowpea and mahaneem (Ailanthus excelsa Roxb.) under Agro-Silviculture system in a Semi-Arid Region of India

Abstract

Fodder is basic need of livestock industry but due to climate change, deforestation and increasing human population as a result fodder availability decrease day by day in India as well as worldwide. Therefore, an experiment on intercropping of two popular varieties of cowpea under Mahaneem based agri-silviculture systems with different spatial arrangements was conducted to find out the best combination of intercrop with tree crop to reduce the scarcity of fodder in semi-arid and arid region of Haryana, India. The Mahaneem trees were planted at four different spacing configurations (10 × 20 m, 10 × 10 m, 10 × 6.5 m, and 10 × 5 m) in March 2013 at Regional Research Station, Bawal, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Haryana, India. Two cowpea varieties i.e., Pusa Sukomal and Pusa Dharni were used as intercropop under different spatial arrangement of Mahaneem. Based on two-year study (2020-21 and 2021-22), the data revealed that the maximum Ailanthus green fodder yield as well as dry fodder yield was recorded under planting spacing 10 x 5 m whereas, maximum cowpea fodder yield was recorded under Ailanthus planting spacing of 10 x 10 m during 2020 - 21 and 2021- 22. The maximum fodder yield per year was maximum recoded 10 x 5 m planting spacing with intercropping cowpea variety Pusa Dharni as compared sole planting of Ailanthus tree at various spacing and sole planting of cowpea varieties i.e., Pusa Sukomal and Pusa Dharni during both experimentation year. Hence, 10 x 5 m planting spatial arrangement of Mahaneem with intercropping cowpea variety Pusa Dharni is recommended to the farmers of arid and semi-arid region of Haryana, India for higher green fodder as well as dry fodder yields.