Evaluation of Production Potential of Fodder Crops- Chilli (Capsicum annum L.) Systems for Dry Land Alfisols of Karnataka, India.

Dry land regions are characterized by starved soils, erratic rainfall coupled with short growing season. We hypothesized that, appropriate crop combinations by utilizing early and late season rains helps to achieve profitable double cropping system in dry land agriculture. A field experiment  was conducted during 2001 rainy season on red sandy loam soil at the dry land  research center, GKVK, Bangalore (12⁰58’N, 77⁰35’E, 930m). Experiment was laid out in split-split plot design replicated thrice to evaluate the production potentials of forage crops in the early season and chilli in the late season under protective irrigation by recycling harvested runoff water collected in the farm pond. Four forage crops viz., maize, sorghum, bajra and sweet sorghum were planted in early rainy season (May). After harvesting forage crops (65 to 70 days old), chilli (Cv.Ceylon and Guntur-4) was planted in the same plots during August fertilized with 100 and 75 % recommended fertilizers (RF). Forage yield was higher in sweet sorghum (52,590 kg ha^-1) and fodder maize (52,083 kg ha^-1) plots over other forage crops. Sweet sorghum had lower NDF, ADF, lignin and higher crude protein and silica contents which are desirable parameters relished by livestock. Dry chilli fruit yield was higher in the plots where sweet sorghum (335 kg/ha) and fodder maize (368 kg/ha) were grown earlier and these two systems recorded higher chilli equivalent yield and economic returns. Application of 100 % RF to the succeeding chilli had significantly improved the dry chilli yield as compared to 75 % RF. There was no significant difference in dry chilli fruit yield between Ceylon and Guntur-4 cultivars.  It could be concluded that sweet sorghum/fodder maize grown in early rainy season followed by chilli with 100% RF through protective irrigation is a feasible practice to improve productivity and cropping intensity in rainfed Alfisols.