azolla as a cattle feed

Nowadays greatest problems of the Indian livestock farmers are facing today, is the shortage of fodder. The arrival of High Yielding Varieties (HYV) shifted the emphasis from the bio-mass oriented agriculture to yield oriented agriculture. This in turn highly reduced the sources of fodder from agricultural crops. The rapid shrinkage of common lands of the villages and expansion of urban areas also led to disappearance of grazing lands and pastures. Traditional sources of cattle feed like oil cakes and coarse grains also declined as other cash crops occupied their areas. Such varied factors have contributed in an inter-linked way to aggravate the fodder crisis. A number of synthetic antibiotics, steroids and vitamins are used to increase the production of milk, meat, egg etc. These chemicals may accumulate in the human body, through the consumption of animal products could cause various degenerative diseases. If we can substitute the cattle feeds with natural feeds that are rich in useful nutrients, it will be of great importance for human and animal health. Azolla can be used as a good substitute for the cattle feed.

                                      
                                                   Pic: Fully grown azolla

Why azolla ?

·         Azolla is the most economic and efficient feed substitute for live stock

·         Azolla is a floating fern in shallow water

·         Azolla on dry weight basis is constituted of 25-35% protein content, 10-15% mineral content and 7 – 19% a combination of amino acids.

·         Azolla can be easily digestible by the livestock, owing to its high protein and low lignin content

·         Milk yield increases by 15 to 20%

·         15 to 20% commercial feed is replaced by azolla

·         Azolla feeding does not affect the milk production, improves quality of milk and health and longevity of livestock

                                                 
                                                         Pic: Cow eating azolla