EFFECT OF SPACING AND VARIETY ON BIOMASS PRODUCTION AND QUALITY OF Moringa oleifera L.

Abstract

The experiment was conducted at the Cattle Research Farm, Pachutia, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), Savar, Dhaka-1341, Bangladesh, with different types of available varieties of Moringa oelifera during the period from August 2019 to August 2020 to evaluate the foliage production of Moringa as a fodder. The experiment consisted of four varieties and four spacing V1 (PKM-1), V2 (PKM-2), V3 (Paraynal), V4 (Black), and D1 (1.0 ×1.0 feet), D2 (1.0×1.5 feet), D3 (1.5×1.5 feet), D4 (2.0 ×2.0 feet). The treatment combinations are T1= V1D1; T2= V2D1; T3= V3D1; T4= V4D1; T5= V1D2; T6= V2D2; T7= V3D2; T8= V4D2; T9= V1D3; T10= V2D3; T11= V3D3; T12= V4D3; T13= V1D4; T14= V2D4; T15= V3D4; T16= V4D4. The experiment was laid out in two factorial Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) comprising four replications. Data were collected on plant height (cm), the number of leaves per plant, stem girth (cm), biomass weight (g), dry weight (g), and crude protein (%). The highest plant height (291.3 cm) was found in T1 treatment combination at 220 DAT. At 260 DAT, significantly highest leaves per plant (45.95) were observed in T7. At 220 DAT the stem girth was observed the highest in T1 treatment combination (7.8 cm). Maximum (96.5 %) in T11 treatment combination was recorded at first harvest (180 DAT). At 220 DAT, a significantly highest biomass yield was observed in T1. Significantly highest dry matter per plant (24.21%) was observed in T1 at 260 DAT. The plants under T11 treatment combination were found maximum in crude protein (19.865) at 260 DAT. Black variety shows the highest survival rate. T1 (PKM-1 variety with 1×1 feet spacing) treatment combination exhibited the highest performance in respect of growth and yield of Moringa followed by T4 (Black variety with 1×1 feet spacing).