Forage yield and quality in pigeonpea germplasm lines

Alexander, G and Ravi, D and Ramakrishna Reddy, Ch and Saxena, K B and Hanson, J and Upadhyaya, H D and Blummel, M (2007) Forage yield and quality in pigeonpea germplasm lines. Journal of SAT Agricultural Research, 3 (1). pp. 1-3. ISSN 0973-3094

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Abstract

The forage yield and quality traits and their heritability estimates over 2003 and 2004 in India were observed. Two hundred pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) germplasm lines were planted at ICRISAT, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India during kharif (rainy) season of 2003 and 2004, with 157 lines grown in both years. The lines were evaluated in a randomized block design with three replications, and harvested at 50% flowering by cutting the plants about 2 feet aboveground. The tested pigeonpea lines showed large genetic variability for forage dry matter yield, nitrogen content, in vitro organic matter digestibility and condensed tannins content in 2003 and 2004. The five best lines for forage yield in rainy season 2003 (8.8-10.5 tonnes/ha) and 2004 (7.0 to 7.8 tonnes/ha) with forage nitrogen content, in vitro organic matter digestibility and condensed tannins content are presented. ICP 2098 was the most promising for forage yield with relatively superior quality in both years. Forage dry matter yield and forage quality traits were unrelated in the 2003 rainy season. However, in the 2004 rainy season, forage yield was positively associated with forage nitrogen content (r = 0.32) and negatively with condensed tannins content (r=-0.18). Estimates of broad sense heritability (h2) for forage yield, nitrogen, condensed tannins and in vitro digestibility were 0.27, 0.51, 0.70 and 0.34, respectively. Mean nitrogen content in the pigeonpea forage was 3.4 and 3.6% in 2003 and 2004, respectively, suggesting that pigeonpea forage can serve as an effective supplement to nitrogen deficient feedstuffs.

Item Type: Article
Divisions: UNSPECIFIED
CRP: UNSPECIFIED
Subjects: Mandate crops > Pigeonpea
Depositing User: Mr Sanat Kumar Behera
Date Deposited: 19 Oct 2011 05:39
Last Modified: 09 Jan 2014 08:50
URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/2879
Official URL:
Projects: UNSPECIFIED
Funders: UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement: UNSPECIFIED
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