Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate four forage crops, i.e. maize, wheat, cowpea and rice bean, for green fodder production under a low-cost hydroponic shed. The experiment was conducted under temperature-controlled condition, irrigation by micro-sprinkler and closed chamber by green agro-shed net cover. The result showed that green forage can be produced in 8 days from planting to harvesting using hydroponic technology. On overall basis, maize produced the highest quantity of green fodder per kg seed (8.40 kg) round the year, followed by wheat (7.11 kg), rice bean (6.75 kg) and cowpea (6.58 kg). The yield from maize and cowpea did not vary significantly with season, whereas wheat gave better yield during Rabi and rice bean during Kharif and summer.
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The authors are thankful to the Agricultural Technology Management Agency, Cuttack, for providing the financial support for conducting the work.
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Mohapatra, K.K., Mohapatra, S., Ekka, R. et al. Variations in Round-the-Year Fodder Production in a Low-Cost Hydroponic Shed. Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. 42, 383–385 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-018-0764-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-018-0764-5