Ensuring health and food safety from rapidly expanding wastewater irrigation in South Asia: BMZ final report 2005-2008

Wastewater irrigation / Institutions / Public health / Health hazards / Diseases / Cropping systems / Vegetables / Fodder / Livestock / Risk assessment / Economic evaluation / Surveys / GIS / Research priorities / South Asia / India / Pakistan / Hyderabad / Faisalabad / Musi River

Determinants of ruminant nutritional quality of pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] stover: I. Effects of management alternatives on stover quality and productivity

The paper investigates management and cultivar type effects on pearl millet stover yield and fodder quality. Sixteen pearl millet cultivars available to farmers in India were selected to represent three cultivar types: (1) traditional landrace germplasm from the arid/semi-arid millet production zones, (2) improved dual-purpose (grain and stover) open-pollinated varieties incorporating differing amounts of traditional landrace germplasm and (3) commercial, grain-type F1 hybrids, bred for use in the arid/semi-arid zone. The cultivars were grown for 2 years (2000 and 2001) at high fertility (HF: 65 kg N ha-1 and 18 kg P ha-1) and low fertility (LF: 21 kg N ha-1 and 9 kg P ha-1). Within each fertility level high (HP) and low (LP) plant population densities were established by varying sowing rate and then thinning to the target populations (HP: 11 plants m-2 and LP: 5 plants m-2). Stover fodder quality traits (nitrogen concentration, sugar content, in vitro digestibility and metabolizable energy content) were analyzed using a combination of conventional laboratory analysis and near infrared spectroscopy. In general, fertility level and cultivar type had strong effects on grain and stover yields, and on a range of stover nutritional quality traits, but with significant year interactions. In contrast, the effect of population density on these variables was largely insignificant. Higher fertilizer application significantly increased grain and stover yields and stover nitrogen concentration, in vitro digestibility and metabolizable energy content. As a result, fertilization resulted in significant increases in the yields of both digestible and metabolizable stover. Landrace cultivars as a group produced higher quality fodder than modern hybrids, but at a significant cost in grain yield. Dual-purpose, open-pollinated cultivars were generally intermediate between the landraces and hybrids, in terms of both stover quality and grain yield, but produced the highest yields of both digestible and metabolizable stover. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for Indian pearl millet farmers with various resource levels and farming objectives

Feed Markets in the Late Dry Season across Agro-Ecological Zones in Burkina Faso

Limited access to adequate quantities of high-quality feed is a major constraint to livestock productivity in smallholder systems in the West African Sahel. As a result of the increase in the livestock population and the associated growth in the demand for feeds, feed markets have sprung up in many cities and towns in the region. However, there is little available information on price variations for different feed types across agro-ecological zones in Burkina Faso. Information on feed price and quality is essential to developing strategies to match feed supply with demand. Surveys on the price and quality of feeds at nine feed markets in peri-urban areas across the four agro-ecological zones in Burkina Faso were conducted in the late dry season (March–May) in 2019. In each location, at least 10 feed sellers were interviewed. Samples of major feeds on sale at the markets were collected for laboratory analysis. Cowpea hay had the highest price of 394±53 FCFA per kg DM in Ouagadougou while the feed with the lowest price was sorghum straw, which was 30±2 FCFA per kg DM in Ouahigouya. For nearly all feeds, the prices were highest in Ouagadougou, which is presumably a reflection of higher demand. There was no correlation between price and quality (nitrogen concentration and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) in the Ouagadougou market. However, there was a significant (P \u3c 0.05) positive relationship between price and nitrogen concentration in Dori, and between price and IVOMD in Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouahigouya markets. The results suggest that increasing demand for feed tends to drive up price particularly in the urban areas regardless of the quality. The findings in Dori, Bobo-Dioulasso and Ouahigouya indicate that there is opportunity to develop feed pricing based on quality

Stover quality and grain yield relationships and heterosis effects in pearl millet

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) is the most drought tolerant of all domesticated cereals and can yield grain under rainfall as low as 200 to 250 mm (Bidinger and Hash, in press) making it the only reliably productive cereal in the driest rainfed regions of the arid and semi-arid tropics. In these regions, crop-livestock production systems are highly integrated and the stover from pearl millet plays a very crucial role in feeding the livestock. Kelley et al. (1996) observed that farmers rejected several pearl millet cultivars (improved only for grain yield) because of too poor fodder value of the stover. Considering the growing demand for more and better quality fodderfor livestock, crop improvement programs have now become multidimensional, targeting the whole plant rather than one single trait. Nearly 70% of the Indian pearl millet area (>9 million ha) is sown to more than 72 hybrids and improvement in the quantity and/or the nutritional quality of the stover of these hybrids could make tremendous impact on livestock productivity in the region. The objective of the current research was to assess heterosis in top-cross hybrids for stover quality traits and to investigate genotypic variability in stover quality traits and their relationships with grain and stover yield

Economic value of sorghum stover traded as fodder for urban and peri-urban dairy production in Hyderabad, India

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] stover is the major source of dry fodder for urban and peri-urban dairy production in Hyderabad, India (Tesfaye 1998). Chopped stover is transported to Hyderabad in lorries from sorghum-growing regions as far away as 400 km. This is in addition to nonchopped stover coming in carts from places 50–100 km from the city. The purchaser usually has a choice between at least two types of stover. Fodder traders often name stover types after the regions from where they come, or the cultivar that is grown there. Anecdotal evidence and discussions with fodder traders suggested that stover prices vary — often from shop to shop at the same time — because of the cultivars and the cropping season (rainy or postrainy). Stover selling, transporting, trading and its use in dairy production support the livelihood of many people from producers (farmers) to the end users. This study explored the economic value of sorghum stover in fodder trading and the relationship between stover price and quality

Cultivar-Dependent Variation in Food-Feed-Traits in Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

A total of 860 cultivars and breeding lines of groundnut grown in the off (Rabi) season of 2001/02 post rainy season at ICRISAT centre head quarter in India were investigated for haulm fodder quality traits and relationships between haulm traits and pod yields. Haulm fodder quality traits chosen were nitrogen (N x 6.25 equals crude protein), in vitro digestibility and in vitro metabolisable energy content. The haulm fodder quality traits were analyzed by a combination of conventional laboratory techniques and Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS). Significant (P<0.0001) and livestock nutritionally important cultivars differences were found for all three traits. Thus haulm nitrogen content ranged from 1.2 to 2.3%, in vitro digestibility ranged from 51.7 to 61.1%, and in vitro metabolisable energy content ranged from 6.9 to 8.8 MJ/kg. No inverse relationships were observed between any of the haulm fodder quality traits and pod and haulm yields. Haulm fodder quality analysis was repeated for 12 check cultivars in 2002 and over the two years broad sense heritabilities (h2) for nitrogen, in vitro digestibility and in vitro metabolisable energy content were 0.72., 0.72 and 0.67, respectively. The findings of the present study suggest that pod yield, haulm yield and haulm fodder quality traits can be simultaneously improved to develop better dual purpose groundnut varietie

A Note on the Response of Sheep to Differently, Priced Sorghum Stover Traded Concomitantly and Implications for the Economy of Feeding

One low cost and two premium type sorghum stover purchased from fodder market in Hyderabad, India were investigated for Organic matter intake (OMI), organic matter digestibility (OMD) and organic matter intake and digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) with feeding trials on sheep. The average price of low cost stover was IRs 2.04 per kg dry stover while the premium stover types were priced at IRs3.40. Premium stover had consistently more favourable laboratory quality traits (nitrogen, fiber constituents, in vitro digestibility and metabolisable energy content). When fed to sheep unsupplemented, significantly higher digestibility, digestible organic matter intake and nitrogen balances were observed in premium type compared to low cost stover. The same held true when the three stover types were fed supplemented with a flat rate of 150 g/d of concentrate. However, economic assessment suggested that the price premiums of 50% and more paid for high quality stover were in excess unless their feeding facilitated overall increased intake and milk yield per dairy animal proportionally, decreasing feed expenditure for maintenance requirement

Stover fodder quality traits for dual-purpose sorghum genetic improvement

Basing dual-purpose sorghum genetic improvement work on untested laboratory traits could clearly present uncertain results for the breeding objective. In that context, this study compares a wide range of chemical (nitrogen, fiber constituents neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) and sugar) and in vitro (rate and extent of in vitro gas production, apparent and true digestibility) measurements to assess organic matter digestibility, organic matter intake, nitrogen balance and digestible organic matter intake of 22 sorghum stover samples fed to sheep

Opportunities for exploiting variations in haulm fodder traits of intermittent drought tolerant lines in a reference collection of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Groundnut haulm has a great value as feed stock in the semi-arid tropics. Two-hundred-two and 194 cultivars of groundnut grown under intermittent water stress and fully irrigated treatment for two consecutive years at ICRISAT (2008/2009 and 2009/2010) in Patancheru in India were investigated for haulm fodder quality traits and for potential trade-offs between pod or haulm yield and haulm fodder traits. Highly significant (P < 0.0001) cultivars-dependent variations were found for a range of laboratory haulm fodder quality traits. Haulm nitrogen contents ranged from 1.94 to 2.88% and from 1.81 to 2.66% while in vitro digestibility ranged from 57.3 to 64.3% and from 59.5 to 64.2% under water restriction and fully irrigated conditions, respectively. Under fully irrigated conditions haulm nitrogen content and in vitro digestibility were mildly, but significantly inversely, related to pod yields with the two haulms traits accounting for 5 and 4% of the variations in pod yields. However, potential trade-offs between haulm traits and pod yields became more pronounced under water stress where variations in haulm nitrogen content and in vitro digestibility accounted for 40 and 28% of the variations in pod yields, respectively. For haulm nitrogen content and in vitro digestibility no significant interactions were observed between cultivar and treatment suggesting stability of haulm fodder traits across poorer and better water management practices. These results demonstrate that breeding for fodder traits in groundnut can be parallel to breeding for productivity traits, although careful choice of cultivars with high fodder trait value would be needed under water stress conditions