EVALUATION OF MILLET LINES FOR FODDER YIELD UNDER RAINFED CONDITIONS OF POTHOWAR REGION

Life Sci. Int. J., Vol: 9, (Issue, 1, 2, 3, & 4) Jan., April, July & Oct. 2015 Page:  Zulfiqar Ali Gurmani, Muhammad Shafiq Zahid, Safdar Shafeeq and Allah Bakhsh Fodder Research Program, National Agriculture Research Center (NARC), Islamabad, Pakistan Email of Corresponding Author: gurmaniparc@gmail.com Nine indigenous and exotic millet cultivars were evaluated for green fodder yield and yield components during 2012 and 2013 at Fodder Research Programme, NARC, Islamabad. Out of nine cultivars of millet, two cultivars (18 BY and Sargodha Bajra) were used as check. The cultivars differed significantly from each other regarding leaf area (cm2), plant height (cm), number of leaves per tiller and green fodder yield t ha-1. Varieties Badshah (Dual type selection) and NARC selection-8 excelled all other varieties in all the characters. There was positive correlation among plant height, leaves per tiller, tillers per plant and leaf area, contributing towards green fodder and dry matter yield per hectare. Maximum green fodder yield (45.37 t ha-1) and (44.72 t ha-1) was observed in lines “Dual type Sel (Badshah) and NARC-Sel-8”. It is recommended that “Badshah Dual type selection” and “NARC selection-8” have proved to be the best cultivars for cultivation in Pothowar area.