Effect of oat + sarson mixture on the productivity and quality of fodder mixture and seed yield of oat under different cutting management

Abstract

A field experiment was carried out during rabi 2007-08 to 2010-11 at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana to study the effect of cutting management and oat + sarson mixtures on the yield and quality of fodder and seed yield of oat. The harvest at 65 days after sowing (DAS) produced significantly higher fodder yield than harvest at 55 DAS. The cutting management did not influence the seed yield of oat and fodder equivalent yield significantly. The quality parameters such as crude protein, In-vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and ash were higher in first cut at 55 DAS than harvested at 65 DAS, whereas, crude fibre content was not influenced by cutting management. The higher net returns were obtained at 65 DAS (Rs. 15,666) than at 50 DAS (Rs. 13,635). Oat (62.5 kg/ha) + sarson 2.5 kg/ha mixture recorded 57.9, 26.1 and 9.9 percent higher green fodder and; 60.5, 25.2 and 10.2 percent higher dry matter yield in first cutting over oat (pure), oat + 1.25 kg sarson/ha and oat + 1.88 kg sarson/ha, respectively. In second cutting, the trend was reverse. The total green fodder yield in oat + 2.5 kg/ha sarson was 7.7 percent higher than pure oat. The seed yield of second cut of oat was significantly higher in oat (pure) over oat + 2.5 and 3.18 kg/ha sarson mixture but was at par with oat + 1.25 and 1.88 kg/ha sarson mixtures. The fodder equivalent yield was highest in oat + 2.5 kg sarson/ha mixture than pure oat by a margin of 9.2 to 11.5 percent. The crude protein, IVDMD and ash contents in the first cut increased with increase in seed rates of sarson up to 3.13 kg/ha sarson. In crude fibre content, the trend was reverse. Oat + 2.5 kg/ha sarson gave additional income of Rs. 4463 to 5077/ha than oat (pure).