Productivity of Cenchrus ciliaris in relation to rain-fall and fertilization.

Abstract

Forage for livestock is always in short supply in the arid zone of India. Cenchrus ciliaris L. is one of the major forage grasses cultivated in this region. We studied its productivity in relation to rainfall and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization in the Indian arid zone at Jodhpur during 1983 to 1992. Factorial combinations of 4 rates of N (0, 20, 40, and 60 kg ha-1) and 3 rates of P (0, 15, and 30 kg ha-1) were applied annually. Twenty kg N ha-1 was the most effective fertilizer treatment, increasing average annual forage yields from 942 to 1,785 kg ha-1 over the 10 year study with significant yield increases occurring in 7 of the 10 years. Yield responses to N rates greater than 20 kg ha-1 occurred only during the last 3 years of the study and then only at the 60 kg ha-1 rate with either 15 or 30 kg P ha-1. Yields reached maximum levels on both the nonfertilized and fertilized plots with between 180 and 250 mm of growing-season rainfall.