Development of fodder resources in Sinai: the role of forage crops in agriculture development, North Sinai-governorate, Egypt.

摘要

The rainfall rate has decreased at latter years which led to deficient of fodder recources and animal wealth has decreased by 50%. Therefore, providing higher quantity and quality feed with lower cost and high palatability under North Sinai-conditions to improve the animal wealth in the agricultural sector of North Sinai are essential. Five hundred twenty three fields were cultivated in North Sinai-Governorate. The total area of each field is one and quarter Fadden divided to five plots. Two plots seeded by perennial forage crops; Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and Rhodes Grass (Chloris gayana) and three plots seeded by summer crops; Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), Sudan Grass (Sorghum bicolor subsp. drummondii) and Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), flowed by Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), Oat (Avena sativa) and fodder beet (Beta vulgaris) in winter season. Regarding the Water Use Efficiency Based on Dry yield (WUED) for cultivated forage crops, the districts which more affected by saline water (El-Hasana and Nekhel-districts) achieved the lowest value of WUED among the other districts by values of 0.70 and 0.65 kg m-3, respectively. Whilst, the WUED in Rummana district was 5.90 kg m-3. The distribution of forage production costs and their net profit/fad. reveled that, the ton cost for Egyptian clover was higher in Nekhel-district compared with Rummana-district. The obtained results will be encouraging the North Sinai-farmers to spread cultivating of forage crops for meeting the acute shortage in fodder recourses, taking into consideration, the competitiveness and preferences for used forage crops.Digital Object Identifier http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/ja.2013.29.37