A cheap and locally available feed for livestock


Seemai Karuvel commonly known as Mesquite tree, is a waste-land tree found abundantly in areas where water and soil fertility are limiting factors. In Thoothukudi district, this tree is very common. It is similar to weeds and is a menace for normal crops.

Local farmers are trying to control its further spread due to its fast spreading nature and thereby posing danger to their crops. But this tree does have a use, during summer, when availability of green grass or hay is scarce, goat, sheep and cows are fed on the dry pods. “Unutilized pods if properly collected and ground into flour can be used as a cheap alternative in livestock feed for grains like pearl millet and wheat bran,” says Dr. G. Alagukannan, Programme Coordinator of SCAD (social change and development) KVK, Thoothukudi.........Read more

 

Source web page: The Hindu


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