A Comparative Study of the Economics of Various Soil Conservation-cum-grassland Improvement Practices for Rejuvinating Forage Production in Ravine Lands - I (Forage Production)

Abstract

Five treatments (viz. T₁ - Closure to grazing and fires; T₂ - Closure plus broadcasting seeds of Cenchrus ciliaris at 4.5 kg/ha and planting Dichanthium annulatum in gully beds at 3×3m spacing; T₃ - closure plus gully plugging and peripheral bunding; T₄-T₈ plus N₂₀P₂₀; T₅- similar to T₄ but with soil scarification) for grassland improvements were tried in the ravine lands along river Mahi at the Soil Conservation research Station, Vasad (Gujarat), for a period of six years from 1960-61 to 1965-66. The results indicate that closure alone, increased the mean forage production by 47.9 per cent. Gully plugging and peripheral bunding gave a marked increase in percentage composition of Cenchrus ciliaris as well as in Soil moisture per cent, and it effected an increase of 76.5 per cent in forage yield. The application of fertilisers with soil scarification affected an appreciable increase in forage production while their application without soil scarification (T₄) did not have any appreciable effect as compared to no application of fertilisers (T₃).