About Lesson
Introduction
A range of factors influencing the growth of the individual plants affects the yield/ biomass. The main factors affecting fodder plant’s growth and yield can be grouped into four broad categories.
- Climatic: Radiation, day length, temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation.
- Soil factors: Soil fertility, physical properties, soil moisture, topography, etc.
- Fodder species: Genetic potential for biomass yield and nutritive value, adaptation to the environment, plant competition, etc.
- Fodder/ pasture Management: Fertilizer application, weed management, cultural practices, etc.
The availability of environmental resources required for plant growth is mainly influenced by factors such as soil type ( pH, depth, structure), altitude, aspect, wind, and farm management decisions ( fertilizer rates, time of cultivation, harvest, irrigation, sowing rates, etc.)