| Abstrakt: |
Studies were conducted for two years (2021-22 and 2022-23) in the Sundarbans region of the Ganges Delta, to determine the suitable planting dates for fodder crops as a component of an integrated farming system (IFS) model and to find out the sustainable IFS options for increasing the income of small-holder farmers. Rice bean, para grass, humidicola grass, guinea grass and Hybrid Napier Bajra (HNB) were evaluated as fodder crops on three dates of planting viz., first week of July, first week of August and first week of September during the Kharif season. During the Rabi season, fodder crops viz., alfalfa, berseem, guinea grass, HNB, humidicola grass, oat, para grass, sorghum, water spinach and Nandi grass were evaluated under three dates of planting viz., first week of December, first week of January and first week of February. During both the seasons, early planting of fodder crops resulted in higher green biomass yield. For the Kharif season, the most suitable fodder crops were HNB, para grass and humidicola grass. So far as fodder yield is concerned, sorghum (72-102 t ha-1), HNB (57-129 t ha-1) and oat (48-52 t ha-1) as well as Nandi grass (88 t ha-1) are promising fodder crops during the Rabi season. However, inclusion of legume fodders such as rice bean, alfalfa and berseem is recommended to provide a balanced diet to the animals and to maintain soil health. Among the two IFS models (Integrated rice - fish - fodder/mung bean based goat farming and integrated rice-fish-fodder based livestock farming), fodder crops with integrated goat farming were most profitable, however, in both systems, inclusion of the animal enterprise made the system more profitable. Compared to the current mono-cropping of rice, the IFS models were highly profitable (Benefit-cost ratio increased from 1.4 to 3.2-5.2) for small-holders in the salt-affected coastal region of the Ganges Delta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
