Page 62 - Agroforestry system - book inner (final corrected) - 9.-3-21_Neat

National level e-symposium on “Agroforestry system for augmenting livestock
productivity and empowering resource poor rural farmers”

Lambs (10-12 kg) when integrated in silvipasture (Leucena leucocephala + Gliricidia sepium + Cenchrus
ciliaris + Stylosanthes scabra) at the rate of 30 numbers / ha., the body weight gain per day was increased

by 68% and the animal holding capacity increased by 50% as compared to natural grazing land during rain
fed season. Goats (12-13 kg) when integrated (8 goats / ha.) on mixed silvi pasture gained 62.98% more body
weight (50.02 Vs 30.69 g per day) compared to goats raised in natural grazing lands.

The general conclusion from several L.leucocephala silvipasture studies is that supplementary grazing
of Leucaena can substantially improve live weight gain over that from pure grass pastures when the under
storey pasture is of low quality and intake of Leucaena is high
Sheep Vs Goat

The comparative growth performance of sheep and goats were studied at the National Research Center
for Agroforestry (NRCAF), Jhansi on 15 months old silvopastoral system containing Albizia amara and L.
leucocephala as tree part, and Dichrostachys cinerea as shrub. The understory vegetation contained perennial
grasses such as Chrysopogon fulvus and pasture legumes like Stylosanthes hamata and S. scabra, while
Sehima - Heteropogon as natural grassland.

Grazing of lambs and kids with stocking density of 14 animals ha-1 on two tier (Cenchrus ciliaris and A.
excelsa) and three tier (C. ciliaris, D. cinerea and A. excelsa) silvopastoral systems resulted in live weight gain
of 20 to 22 kg with average daily gain of 56-61 g and 93-102 g (head day-1 ) in lambs and kids, respectively.

Sheep (9 ewes and 1 ram) and goat (9 doe and 1 buck) grazed on 2 ha of silvopastoral system consisting
of L. leucocephala as a tree component and D. cinerea as shrub along with natural vegetation resulted in
increased lambing and kidding percentage (6 lambs and 12 kids) within 1 year and daily weight gain of 72.04
and 104.29 g head-1 was also observed in newborn kids and lambs, respectively (Ramana et al. 2000).

Feed intake and digestibility of a range of foliages by goats were increased when these were suspended
above the feed trough compared with separating the leaves and offering them separately .

Hortipasture systems

Hortipastoral systems are defined as growing of grasses and legumes in the inter spaces between fruit
tree species. Only during dormant season of the fruit tree, livestock were allowed to graze on the available
pasture for a period of 3-4 months in a year. Translation of orchards (mango and sweet orange) over 5 years
old into hortipastoral systems with boundary plantation of

L. leucocephala for small ruminant production was reported to provide additional income to the farmers.
Tree leaves could serve as supplementary source of proteins, minerals and trace elements for dairy cows and
small ruminants

The animal production potential from these systems, although not well documented, would not be high
because of the precautions necessary to prevent damage to the often palatable leaves of the crop and the low
light profile when the trees reach maturity (Gutteridge R.E and H.M. Shelton ,1994) .

Institute of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Animal Production Studies, TANUVAS
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 43