Interactive Effect of Irrigation Regimes and Sowing Dates on Morphophysiological Response, Fodder Yield and Quality and Antinutrient HCN of Multi-Cut Sorghum in the Semi-Arid Region

A two-year field experiment (2016/2017) with three moisture regimes (60 CPE (cumulative pan evaporation), 120 CPE, and no irrigation) and six sowing dates in three replications was conducted to investigate the effect of diffe-rent moisture regimes and sowing dates on multi-cut hybrid fodder sorghum in the semi-arid region. Early sowing and irrigation at 60 CPE had resulted in improved morpho-physiological responses with better fodder quality in terms of higher crude protein, invitro dry matter digestibility, and lower crude fiber in both seasons. Early sowing resulted in an increase of green fodder yield (GFY) from 638.7 to 805.4 q/ha in 2016 and from 643.7 to 780.9 q/ha in 2017. Irrigation at 60 CPE showed 46% and 41% increase in GFY over no irrigation. In all three cuts, HCN content was significantly higher in the crop with no irrigation and also in late sown crop (at 2nd and 3rd cuts).HCN decreased drastically by 41% (2016) and 36% (2017) in the crop irrigated at 60 CPE (at 1st cut). Findings suggest that,late sowing of the sorghum affects the fodder yield and quality due to effect on growth parameters and therefore, the adverse effects of decreased precipitation as the result of change in weather conditions can be diminished particularly by sowing early and irrigating at 60 CPE.