Fodder crops for goats stylo subabul Photo: Mohsin Mirza · Pexels License · source ↗

Fodder crops for goats — stylo, subabul, hedge lucerne

Goats and sheep on rainfed Deccan farms need a high-protein green fodder supplement to back up natural grazing on degraded grasslands. Three perennial legume fodder species — Hatton stylo (Stylosanthes hamata), subabul (Leucaena leucocephala) and hedge lucerne (velimasal, Desmanthus virgatus) — are the standard ICAR-recommended package for goat and sheep enterprises in Anantapur, Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, Bidar and similar tracts because they tolerate shallow red soils, fix nitrogen, and produce 18-22% crude protein leaf material.

Hatton stylo (Stylosanthes hamata)

Stylo is a low-growing perennial legume bred at ICRISAT and Hatton (Sri Lanka), released for Indian rainfed conditions as cv. Verano and IGFRI Stylo-184. It establishes from seed at 4-6 kg/ha broadcast onto a roughly-prepared dryland surface in June-July with a single shallow harrowing for soil cover. Once established it persists 3-5 years, producing 4-8 t/ha dry matter per year under 500-800 mm rainfall. The leaf-rich material can be grazed in-situ, cut for stall feeding, or oven-dried as goat-grade hay. Protein content of leaf is 14-18%.

Subabul (Leucaena leucocephala)

Subabul is a multi-purpose nitrogen-fixing tree legume that doubles as a fodder shrub when managed on a coppice cycle. Planted on field bunds or as 1 m x 1 m hedge rows at 2,500-5,000 plants per acre, the trees are cut 80-100 cm above ground every 50-70 days, yielding 4-6 fodder harvests a year (4-8 t/ha dry leaf matter). Leaf protein is 22-25% and rich in beta-carotene, but the mimosine alkaloid limits inclusion to ~30% of the total ration in goats. Subabul also serves as live fencing and a host for tasar sericulture in some belts. See also subabul as pollinator forage.

Hedge lucerne / velimasal (Desmanthus virgatus)

Hedge lucerne is a small thornless perennial legume bush popular across Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu for stall-fed goat units. Planted in 45-60 cm rows from seed (10-15 kg/ha) in June-July, it can be first cut at 90-100 days and thereafter every 45-60 days. Annual green-fodder yield reaches 60-100 t/ha under irrigation and 25-40 t/ha rainfed. Protein content of fresh leaf is 20-24% with no mimosine, so it can be fed up to 50% of the dry-matter ration. The hedge lucerne / velimasal entry covers cultivation detail.

How farmers combine the three

The recommended ICAR-CSWRI ration for a stall-fed Osmanabadi or Black Bengal goat unit is roughly: half the green-fodder requirement from hedge lucerne or stylo, one quarter from subabul leaves (kept below ~30%), and one quarter from grass/crop residue (paddy straw, sorghum stover, maize fodder). For migratory sheep flocks (migratory sheep grazing) stylo is the practical option because it establishes in field margins and pasture commons without daily cutting labour.

Limitations

Subabul mimosine and goitrogens can suppress goat growth above 30-40% of the ration; the in-rumen bacterium that degrades mimosine is not always established in Indian livestock. Stylo is killed by waterlogging and heavy grazing in year one before its tap-root is established. Hedge lucerne needs reliable irrigation in summer to maintain leaf yield. All three are slow to start and need protection from free-roaming livestock in the first 4-6 months.

Sources

Forage crops for small ruminants. ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute.
Leguminous fodder trees: subabul and hedge lucerne. ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute.
Stylosanthes hamata for rainfed pastures. ICRISAT, Patancheru.