Forage Production Technology for Arable Lands - Indian Grassland ...

4.3. Forage production in calcareous soilsThe production of certain crops is restricted due to CaCO induced deficiency of plant3nutrients like P, Fe and Mn. The presence of Kankar pan in lower soil layers restrictsdrainage. It is characterized by the presence of calcium carbonate in the parent materialand by a Calcic horizon, a layer of secondary accumulation of carbonates (usually Ca orMg) in excess of 15% calciumcarbonate equivalent and at least 5%more carbonate than an underlyinglayer. The deficiency of sulphur inthese soils restricts growth andadversely affects the yield of fodder.Soils are very hard and have aerationproblem. Sorghum amongst othercereal fodder crops performs better inthese soil conditions.Adaptation area: Calcareous soilsare found in arid and semiarid regions developed on the parent material rich incarbonates of calcium and magnesium. These soil are found in patches in different states:North Bihar (Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Vaishali, Siwan, Gopalganj, Saran, Champaranand north part of Begusarai), Delhi, Gujarat (Saurashtra, Dhandhuka, Bhavnagar,Junagardh and Runns of Kutch), Haryana, alluvial soil areas of Himachal Pradesh andJammu and Kashmir, Northern Karnataka (Belagaum, Dharwar, Raichur, Bijapur,Gulberga, Bellary, Chitradurga), Kerala (Chittoor, part of Palaghat district), MadhyaPradesh (Narmada valley, Malwa plateau, Satpura ridge and Bundelkhand), south-westPunjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (Tarai, alluvial and Bundelkhand soils) andUttarakhand (Tarai soils).Components /input requirements: In calcareous soils excess calcium and deficiencyof the micronutrients limits the crop production. Suitable nutrient management canoffset these problems. Apart from the fertilizers bearing major nutrients, organicmanures and micronutrient fertilizers are important component of calcareous soilmanagement.System description: There is varietals variation in adaptation to the calcareous soils.Amongst cultivated grasses Napier bajra hybrid cv. IGFRI-6 is promising in these soils.The combined application of N (100 kg/ha) through organic manure (FYM) and fertilizerin 50: 50 ratio and 80 kg P 0 /ha proves beneficial in increasing forage yield and quality2 5of oats than single application of nitrogen sources. The productivity of Napier bajrahybrid also can be increased with combined application of FYM and urea in comparisonto FYM or urea alone. Similarly, the combined use of 40 kg N (20 kg as urea-N and 20 kgas FYM slurry-N) and 80 kg K O/ha along with bacteria culture produces higher yield of2Cenchrus ciliaris by 15 per cent.38 Forage Production Technology for Arable Lands