ICAR nod for three new varieties of fodder crop

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has approved for commercial cultivation three new high-yielding varieties of oats and berseem meant specifically for use as animal fodder.

Of these, two varieties are of oats (a cereal belonging to the wheat family) and one of berseem (a nutritious leguminous green fodder).

The new strains were recommended for release for commercial cultivation at the annual meeting of the scientists working under the All-India coordinated research project on forage crops held recently in Bikaner.

The availability of high-yielding varieties of fodder crops is deemed essential to meet the requirements of country's vast livestock population, the largest in the world.

The berseem variety, BL-180, has been recommended for cultivation in north-western plains and northern hills. In production trials, this new strain has displayed consistent superiority in green fodder, dry matter and seed yield over the existing varieties.

Developed by the Ludhiana-based Punjab Agricultural University, this variety is suitable for growing in irrigated fields and gives an average yield of around 625 quintals of green fodder per hectare.

It is capable of supplying fodder late in the season when there is scarcity of it.In oats, JHO 99-1 variety has been identified for northern hills. Developed by the Jhansi-based Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, this strain is claimed to be resistant to diseases and pests, such as leaf blight, nematodes and grass-hoppers.

The other oat variety, RO-19, has been recommended for cultivation all over the country because of its high yield potential, good quality and resistance to major diseases and pests.

The strain has been developed under the coordinated forage crops research project at the Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri. Its average yield has been assessed at around 495 quintals a hectare of green fodder and about 94.5 quintals of dry matter. It is also resistant to leaf blight disease.

The ICAR has produced 404.45 quintals of seeds of fodder crops, against the indented requirement of 240.95 quintals.