Abstract
The shortage of arable land and shortage of livestock feed specially quality feed resources are major constraints in East Hararghe Zone. Thus, a field study was conducted to evaluate an early maturing sorghum varieties and cowpea Lines intercropping for both food and feed production at Fedis Agricultural Research Center, eastern Ethiopia in 2018/19 cropping season. Two cowpea varieties (lines) (9333 and 9334) were intercropped with three varieties of early maturing sorghum (Teshale, Birhan and Melkam) and compared with sole cropping of all the varieties, which were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The analyzed result showed the NDF content was significantly different (p < 0.05) among intercropped and sole sorghum the maximum NDF was recorded from sole sorghum Teshale (69.56%) and the minimum sorghum Birhan + cowpea (9333) (57.75%) and the Intercropping sorghum improved the CP of sorghum stover mean from sole (5.31%) to intercropped (6.03%). the. Cropping systems and cowpea lines were significantly affected (p < 0.05) the content of CP and NDF. The maximum CP obtained from cowpea (9334) + sorghum Teshale 29.19%), and the minimum CP obtained from sole cowpea (9333) (24.38%). Generally, the results of this study showed that intercropping of sorghum-cowpea were increased nutritional quality of cowpea and sorghum stover. Based on the results of this study, it concluded that intercropping sorghum with forage cowpea; preferably sorghum Melkam + cowpea (9333) to be appropriate to increase quality of sorghum stover in the study area.
Highlights
Ethiopian has a large livestock population and diverse agro-ecological zones suitable for livestock production and for growing diverse types of food and fodder crops
This result was indicated that high dry matter obtained when compared with 2012 feed composition table of sorghum Stover of (87%) Dry Matter (DM) and most “dry” feeds, such as grains and hays, often have a DM content of around 85% to 92%
The study was conducted with the objective to evaluate chemical composition and in vitro dry matter digestibility of early maturing sorghum and cowpea varieties when intercropped
Summary
Ethiopian has a large livestock population and diverse agro-ecological zones suitable for livestock production and for growing diverse types of food and fodder crops. Livestock production has mostly been subsistenceoriented and characterized by very low reproductive and production performance; those were due to primarily shortages of quality and quantity of animal feed [12]. The constraint of livestock feed due to land degradation, land shortage and poor soil fertility [18] and as the result of a rapidly increasing human population pressure, cropping is expanding and grazing areas are shrinking [1]. Cowpea is among the most widely used legumes in the tropical world. It can be incorporated into cereal cropping
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