Performance of Different Grasses in Harad Terminalia chebula Retz Based Agroforesty System

Abstract

newline The present study entitled Performance of Different Grasses in Harad (Terminalia chebula Retz.) Based Agroforestry System was carried out from 2021 to 2023 at the Experimental Farm of Division of Silviculture and Agroforestry, Chatha, SKUAST Jammu (JandK). The objectives were to evaluate the growth and yield performance of different grass species grown under the shade of Terminalia chebula trees and open conditions, analyze their impact on soil physico-chemical properties, and undertake the bio-economic studies. The experiment included 7 treatments (grass species): T1- Setaria anceps (var. S-25), T2 - Sorghum bicolor, T3 - Setaria anceps (var. PSS-1), T4 - Pennisetum purpureum, T5 - Paspalum notatum, T6 - Bracharia decumbens and T7 - Natural grass grown under shade and in open conditions. The experimental trial was laid out using Randomized Block Design with 3 replications. newlineResults indicated that values of growth parameters such as plant height, leaf length, and leaf area were higher when grass species were grown under the shade of Terminalia chebula compared to open conditions. Specifically, T2 (Sorghum bicolor) exhibited maximum plant height, leaf length, and leaf area under shaded conditions. Conversely, the number of tillers and leaves per plant were higher under open conditions, with T3 (Setaria anceps, var. PSS-1) showing the highest values among all grass species. Yield parameters including fresh and dry forage yield, were significantly higher in open conditions compared to those under the shade of Terminalia chebula trees in 2021, 2022, and in overall analysis. Among all the grass species, T3 (Setaria anceps, var. PSS-1) exhibited the maximum fresh and dry forage yield under open conditions. Physiological attributes like crop growth rate (CGR) and relative growth rate (RGR) were also higher under open conditions compared to shade. However, average chlorophyll content was observed higher under the shade of Terminalia chebula compared to sole crop in open. Among all the grass species, maxi