forage sorghum: a future option

American-Eurasian J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 15 (4): 640-647, 2015ISSN 1818-6769 IDOSI Publications, 2015DOI: 10.5829/idosi.aejaes.2015.15.4.12600

Corresponding Author: Muhammad Aamir Iqbal, Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Agriculture Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.

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A Study on Forage Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) Production inPerspectives of White Revolution in Punjab, Pakistan: Issues and Future Options

Muhammad Aamir Iqbal, Bilal Ahmad, Muhammad Hussnain Shah and Kashif Ali1 2 2 3

Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture,1

Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture,2

University of Agriculture Faisalabad-38040, PakistanUniversity of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore-Pakistan3

Abstract: Forage sorghum is considered to be the most heat and drought resistant summer forage with a fairlyhigh green forage yield. Forage sorghum is more economical to grow as compared to forage maize with fairlyhigh economic returns. The total area under forages in 2012 in Punjab was 1.82 million hectares with greenforage production of 38.8 million tons. The land area of Punjab under forage sorghum in 2012 was 0.588 millionhectares with production of 7.984 million tons. The average production of forage sorghum (13 t ha ) in Punjab1

province of Pakistan is much less as compared to potential of 50-70 t ha . Seed with low yield potential,1

suboptimal plant population, drought, weeds infestation, suboptimal and unbalanced use of fertilizers, insectpest attack and marketing problems are major constraints in forage sorghum production in Punjab. Acomprehensive breeding program to develop high yielding forage sorghum varieties and an extensive extensionprogram to bring modern production technology into the knowledge of farmers at their door steps is the needof hour for sustainable milk and meat production to cater the needs of ever increasing population. The emergingdooming water scenario and phenomenon of global warming has necessitated the introduction of foragesorghum in irrigated tracks of Punjab and to develop modern production technology for rainfed areas. Foragesorghum intercropped with forage legumes has the potential to provide abundant and nutritious forage to dairyanimals. Sorghum preserved as hay or silage may be fed to animals during forage scarcity periods to maintainmilk production and for this provincial agriculture department as well as livestock department should strive tomake farmers aware of fodder preservation technology to pave the way for a glorious white revolution in Punjabthrough milk production according to known genetic potential of large and small ruminants.

Key words: Animal feed Fodders and forages Cereal forages Milk and meat White revolution

INTRODUCTION happened between the fifth and twelfth centuries, but the

The term forage entails the utilization of plants in forage crops. They contributed to the development ofgreen succulent form for feeding domestic animals, while mixed farming in the European agricultural revolution andfodders are crops that are harvested and cured as hay or spread globally with the expansion of Europeans intosilage to feed during lean periods when there is scarcity other continents. The mixed farming system works asof green forage. The history of forage crops can be traced shock-absorber in the wake of crop failure as livestock areback to about 1300 BC when alfalfa has been traced to comparatively less vulnerable to adverse climatic andbe cultivated in areas of modern Turkey. Relatively weather upheavals as well as marketing fluctuations aswidespread use of forage crops, however, appeared much compared to major and minor crops, along withlater, around the beginning of the Christian era, when contributing 53% to Pakistans national agricultural GDPseveral species were cultivated in different continents, [1]. Pakistan is endowed with 37.1 million cattle heads,mainly in the countries of Mediterranean Europe. Little 32.5 million buffaloes of precious breeds along with huge

thirteenth to nineteenth centuries saw great advances in

Am-Euras. J. Agric. & Environ. Sci., 15 (3): 640-647, 2015

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treasure of small ruminants (28 million sheep and 68 units. Punjab inhabits more than 64 million heads ofmillion goat populations) with 50.9 million tons of gross Animals and forage sorghum fulfills 50% of Punjab rainfedmilk production annually [1]. The major feed stuffs include areas feed requirement [13]. Sorghum is becoming anresidues of different crops particularly of cereals (44%) increasingly important forage crop in many regions of thegrazing in pastures and canal banks (28%) forage and world [8]. It has a good potential to tolerate adversefodder (15%) and concentrates (energy rich and protein environmental conditions which makes it a suitable croprich) (3%) [2]. The matter of grave concern is that for semi-arid areas. Its rapid growth and high biomassdigestible protein and digestible nutrients are deficient by production helps to overcome unfavorable environmental33% and 24% respectively [3]. Since immemorial times, conditions [15] and the short maturity period favorslivestock has been providing milk, food security and daily successful cultivation of the crop on marginal soils withcash income to small farmers in Pakistan and especially in low soil moisture in temperate, tropical and sub-tropicalPunjab province of Pakistan. Forages are the most climates [16]. Thus forage sorghum holds key in bringingpalatable animal feed resource for livestock, however, white revolution in Pakistan by bridging the gap betweenforage shortage is increasing with each passing year and availability and requirement of forages for milch animals.2% land area under forage crops is skipping after each This forage crop holds the potential to be cultivated in alldecade [4]. Pakistan witnesses two periods of forage tracts of Punjab despite the extreme temperatures andscarcity (June-July and November-December), during severe deficiency of water. The present study haswhich performance of the livestock particularly of dairy provided an assessment of area, forage yield andanimals is hit the hardest [5, 6]. Due to greater number of constraints of forage sorghum cultivation in Punjabanimals of superior breeds, though Pakistan has attained province of Pakistan.3rd position globally in terms of milk production but hugefunds are going down the drain due to the bulk imports of MATERIALS AND METHODSdry milk in order to cater the needs of expandingpopulation [7]. Livestock productivity is improved if In this case study, the data related to the cultivatedforages in adequate quantities and with acceptable quality area of Punjab under summer as well as winter forages,tag are being fed to animals [8, 9, 10]. In Pakistan, forage green forage production and yield of forage sorghum werecrops occupy 2.7 million hectares with a production of collected and adapted from Economic survey of Pakistan53.5 M tons of green forage [11]. Average forage yield per [1], Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) [12], Punjabhectare is about 19.4 tons. Despite the fact that cattle and development statistics [13] and different related publishedbuffalo breeds are known globally because of their and unpublished scientific articles. Interviews withsuperior potential for milk, there is a shortage of milk and farmers, dairy farmers, forages seed wholesalers andother products which are processed from milk such as retailers were conducted purposively during April 2012 tobutter and cheese. In Pakistan, per capita meat July 2013 in Pakpattan, Okara, Sahiwal and Faisalabadconsumption is just over 5 kg annually, while total daily districts.protein consumption is hovering around 45-46 g [12].Among forage crops in Pakistan, sorghum and maize RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONSconstitute as major summer season forages, while someforage legumes as cowpea and cluster bean are also Area, Production and Green Forage Yield of Summer andgrown as an intercrop with sorghum and maize. Winter Winter Forages: Forages to feed domestic milch animalsseason in Punjab witnesses more forage production as are grown by farmers throughout the Punjab province.compared to summer season because of more production The highest land area of Punjab under forages waspotential of berseem and lucerne [13]. Sorghum (Sorghum recorded during 2006, when an area of 2.04 millionbicolor L.) is one of the oldest cultivated cereals, having hectares (winter + summer) was under forage cropsits origin in Africa [3]. Sorghum forage is usually grown in (Fig. 1). This area was decreased to 1.87 hectares in 2011areas which witness extraordinarily higher temperatures and 1.85 million hectares during 2012. This shows anwith scarce rainfall and severe water deficiency [14]. immense shifting from forage crops to other crops byMore land area is under sorghum in Punjab which is the farmers from 2005 to 2012. Total green forage productionlargest province of Pakistan in terms of population and in Punjab during 2005 was 43.3 million tons and italso has the largest and fastest growing economy in the increased to 45 million tons during 2006. Total greencountry compared to other provinces and administrative forage production in Punjab during 2012 was reduced to


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Fig. 1: Total land area (million hectares) of Punjab under forage crops [13]

Fig. 2: Total green forage production (million tons) in Punjab [13]

Fig. 3: Punjab land area (million hectares) under summer forages as sorghum, maize and various forage legumes [13]

Fig. 4: Summer forages production (million tons) in Punjab [13]


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Fig. 5: Punjab land area (million hectares) under winter forages such as oat, berseem, lucern [13]

Fig. 6: Winter forages production (million tons) in Punjab [13]

38 million tons (Fig. 2) and it was due to reduction in area reduction in area under winter forage crops and ultimatelyunder forages and ultimately there was much less green much reduction in winter forages production wasforage production in Punjab during 2012 as compared to recorded.2006. The total area under summer forages in Punjab in2005 was 0.93 million hectares (Fig. 3), which decreased to Area, Production and Green Forage Yield of Forage0.90 million hectares in 2012. The largest area under Sorghum: Generally forage sorghum is being grownsummer forages in Punjab was recorded during 2006 when throughout the Punjab province but significantly higherthere were more than 1 million hectares under summer area under forage sorghum and green forage yield isforages such as sorghum, maize and various forage recorded in irrigated plains of Punjab rather than aridlegumes. The highest green forage production of summer areas of Punjab. The maximum area under forage sorghumforages was recorded during same year and it was 12.7 (0.62 million hectares) in Punjab was recorded during 2006million tons and it was decreased to 11.7 million tons and it was decreased to 0.60 million hectares in 2012during 2012 (Fig. 4). A variety of winter forages such as (Fig.7), while the forage sorghum production of 0.8 millionoat, maize, berseem, lucern etc. are grown in Punjab to tons was recorded during 2005 and it was increased tosustain livestock production. The highest area of Punjab 0.81 million tons during 2012 (Fig. 8). The increasedunder winter forages was witnessed during 2006 that was production of forage sorghum despite reduction in land1.4 million hectares and it decreased to 0.91 million area under forage sorghum was probably due to morehectares in 2012 (Fig. 5). The reduction in area under advanced production technology and the use of foragewinter forages from 2005 to 2012 was about 0.120 million sorghum varieties with more forage potential. Ashectares which speaks volume of immense shifting of Figure 9 showed that sorghum green forage yield infarmers to other crops. Total production of winter forages 2005 was 13.04 t ha and it was increased to 13.58 t hain 2005 was 31.5 million tons and it was decreased to 29.8 despite the fact that area under forage crops is decreasingmillion tons in 2012 (Fig. 6) and it was due to immense with each passing year.

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Fig. 7: Area (million hectares) under forage sorghum in Punjab [13]

Fig. 8: Forage sorghum production (million tons) in Punjab [13]

Fig. 9: Forage sorghum green forage yield (tons hectare ) in Punjab [13]1

Economics of Forage Sorghum and Maize Production: costlier in comparison with forage sorghum seed. ForageForage sorghum is more economical than forage maize maize requires more fertilizers particularly urea whilebecause its seed is much cheaper than that of maize and forage sorghum has the potential to give a reasonablyit requires less fertilizers as well as irrigation. The net high green forage yield with fewer use of fertilizers.income given by forage sorghum is higher (Rs.7500) as Forage sorghum requires less number of irrigations thancompared to forage maize (Table 1) and this is due to fact forage maize. Forage sorghum has more water usethat there is less expenditure incurred on forage sorghum efficiency than forage maize because it allowsas compared to forage maize. Forage maize seed is much comparatively less transpiration due to the presence of


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Table 1: Economics of growing forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) and maize (Zea maize L.) on per hectare basis in Punjab (Pak. Rupee)Items Forage Sorghum Forage Maize Land Preparation 1200 1200Seed 50100 = 5000 80100 = 8000Fertilizers 4200+3200=7400 (Urea 2 bags + DAP 1 bag) 6300+3200=9500 (Urea 3 bags + DAP 1 bag)Irrigations 12004= 4800 12006= 7200Harvesting & Transport 3000 3000Total Expenditures 21400 28900Green Forage Yield (t ha ) 14 141

Gross Earning 314000= 42000 314000= 42000Net Earning 42000-21400=20600 42000-28900=13100

thick cuticle on leaves as well as stem. Forage sorghum one or more steps involved in conventional breedinghas the potential to sustain drought periods that makes it methods. These techniques save time and energy requiredone of the most suitable option to be grown in irrigated for conventional methods. Genetic mapping and genetracts of Punjab on wide scale in the wake of emerging tagging in forage species have not been attempted much.dooming water scenario. This is despite the fact that Our markets including Sahiwal, Okara and Faisalabad arecurrent production of forage sorghum in Punjab province infested with Indian verities of forage sorghum that haveof Pakistan is much less than the potential of forage not been thoroughly investigated for their response tosorghum, that is in the range of 50 to 70 t ha . local soil and climatic conditions and their rates are much1

Forage Sorghum Seed Production and Sites of compared to local verities such as Hegari, JS-88 andProduction: The availability of quality seed is one of the JS-263. Natural constraints such as drought in arid areasmajor factors which ensures successful cultivation and as well as in irrigated plains of Punjab have hinderedadoption of any crop in any region. There is a severe forage production. Poor plant stand of forage sorghumdearth of improved seed of forage sorghum for rainfed as reduces green forage yield to a great extent and ultimatelywell as irrigated tracts of Punjab [17]. The very reason is results in loss of precious soil as well as environmentalthe least priority that has been conferred on forages by resources. The water availability in Pakistan at the time ofresearchers and multinational seed companies. The partition in 1947 was 5600 m person year which hasvacuum created due to non-availability of certified forage decreased to about 1066 m person year in 2012 [18].sorghum seed, imported seed with unknown genetics has So irrigation water shortage and its high price have forcedmanifested local markets. Total forage sorghum seed the farmers to shift to other cash crops and let theirproduction in Pakistan is about 7000 tons year which is livestock to feed on grazing alongside canal banks and1

much less than the requirement. Main areas of forage already overused pastures. The extension services ofsorghum seed production in Punjab are Sahiwal, D.G. Punjab agriculture department are directed and focusedKhan and Bhaker. on the major crops such as wheat, rice, cotton and

Constraints of Forage Sorghum Production in Punjab: latest production technology and techniques of growingThe matter of fact is that there is a severe dearth of forage forages. The major disease that inflicts the foragesorghum quality seed because there is no wide scale sorghum in Punjab is red leaf spot which reduces thegenetic program on forage sorghum and neither has it green forage yield as well as quality of forage. Theseemed to be the priority of researchers. The improvement shoot-fly and borer also attack the crop near headingof forage crops through biotechnological approach has stage and cause a serious loss the sorghum forage yieldstarted in late eighties has made remarkable headway at and quality. The lower number of animals also forces thethe global level. The various biotechnological tools farmers to purchase forage and opt to shift to cash crops.include molecular techniques for understanding the The large dairy farmers tend to grow forages but not smallgenetic structure of the plants, inserting foreign genes farmers having one or two heads. More competition withdirectly into the plant genome, in-vitro regeneration of staple crops particularly with rice makes the forageplants from any plant part. A number of techniques such sorghum out of competition in irrigated plains of Punjab,as embryo rescue, micro-propagation androgenic haploid but in arid region of Punjab, farmers tend to grow forageplant production and creation of novel variations help at sorghum and there is a sharp decrease in area under

high in the range of Rs. 50-70 and give low yield as

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sugarcane and farmers are not being trained about the


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forage sorghum: a future option

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