Effect of Nitrogen Applications on Growth, Forage Yield and Quality of Three Cluster Bean Varieties

The crop nutrition has a well-defined effect on yield and quality of forage crops. Among various essential macro nutrients, the nitrogen has a key function in improving forage yield and crude protein contents but demand of crop for nitrogen varies with the cultivars. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different nitrogen levels (0, 25, 50 kg ha) on forage yield and quality of three cluster bean cultivars namely; cluster bean 2/1, BR-90 and BR-99. The experiment was conducted at Agronomic Research Area, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad during 2008. The experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with factorial arrangements having three repeats. The application of nitrogen significantly increased the forage yield and maximum yield (63.70 kg ha ) was recorded at 50 kg ha. The increase in yield was mainly due to greater plant height, no. of leaves and leaf area per plant and no. of branches per plant. The quality parameters like crude protein, crude fibre, total ash and dry matter percentage were also increased significantly by nitrogen application over control. Significant difference was also observed among cultivars regarding green forage and dry matter yield, plant height, no. of leaves and leaf area per plant. The variety BR-99 produced significantly higher forage yield (63.00 t ha), crude protein contents (16.63 %) and lower ash contents than cultivars cluster bean 2/1 and BR-90. Crude fibre contents were statistically similar in all cultivars. For obtaining higher cluster bean forage yield having higher protein and ash contents, the cultivar BR99 may be grown and fertilized at 50 kg N ha under the agro climatic conditions of Faisalabad.