Of Cacti And Algae

Even after 50 years, India's research on forage crops fails to avert fodder shortage but churns out some unconventional alternatives

- Meenakshi Sushma

ADVERSITY IS a gift, and D Kingsley of Mangalagiri village in Thoothukudi knows it too well. In 2016-17, when the entire state of Tamil Nadu was reeling from the worst drought in a century, arranging fodder for his 15 cows had become a struggle for Kingsley. “That’s when I decided to grow hydroponic maize,” he says. The technology involves growing plants without soil and by using mineral nutrients dissolved in water. For setting up the unit, Kingsley procured 16 plastic troughs from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at the district headquarters, filled those with nutrient-rich water and sprinkled sprouted maize seeds over it. Within 10 days, the seedlings grew into 30-cm -tall plants with tender corns, and were ready to be harvested.

The instant maize is one of the 200-odd alternatives that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi, and Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute (IGFRI), Jhansi, have developed over 50 years under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Forage Crops and Utilization. While most innovations aim at improving productivity and nutritive value of forage crops, some are being promoted by KVKs for their advantages in areas grappling with water and fodder scarcity (see ‘Unconventional...’, p18).