Abstract
Fodder need of cattle in hills can partially be met during winter lean period by feeding them fresh oak leaves. Poor nutrition or soil fertility may result in poor foliage yield. For accelerating the growth of Quercus leucotrichophora plantation was done at 1.0 m x 1.0 m or 10,000 trees/ha. Study comprised of three interculture operations, viz., no interculture operation, interculture twice (before and after rainy season), interculture quarterly (July, October, January and April) with five fertilizations, viz., control, 30 kg N/ha, 30 kg N/ha, 30 kg N+40 kg P2O5, 30 Kg N + 40 Kg P2O5 + 10 t FYM/ha and 10 t FYM/ha, were undertaken to find out the optimum dose of fertilization. The experiment was laid out in split plot design at the VPKAS. Research Farm, Hawal bagh during 1988-1995. The treatments were applied during initial three years only without taking fodder and fuel yield in the said period. The mean of three years (1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95) data revealed that the application of 30 kg N+40 Kg P2O5/ha with FYM @ 10 t/ha recorded the maximum green foliage (51 q/ha) and fuel (31 q/ha) yield. In case of interculture operations, weeding and hoeing twice was found promising which produced 48 q/ha green leaves and 28 q/ha fuel yield.
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