Growth, Phenology and Seed Yield of Fodder Maize in Relation to Different Planting Methods and Nitrogen Levels

In India area under fodder crops is only 8.4 m ha which is static since last two decades. At present, the country faces a net deficit of 61.1% green fodder, 21.9% dry crop residue and 64% feeds (Chaudhary et al., 2012). Not only fodder production in the country is sufficient to meet the requirement and also the forage offered to animals is mostly of poor quality. Maize (Zea mays L.) is an ideal fodder crop possessing quick growing and high yielding ability during summer season and can be fed to the cattle at any stage of growth, as there is no problem of hydrocyanic acid poisoning to cattle. Seed availability is one of the major constraints in increasing production of fodder crops. So there is needed to be improving the seed production by adopting suitable planting methods and with proper nitrogen management. Proper planting method can play a key role in maximum utilization of applied fertilizer and available water resources. Method of sowing is the major factor which is responsible for soil moisture storage, judicious use of fertilizer, International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 4 (2017) pp. 1723-1735 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com