ABSTRACT
Berseem or Egyptian clover is winter forage popularly known as the king of fodder crops. It is available for 6-7 months from November to May and it gives four to six cuts during winter, spring, and early summer seasons and provides nutrition, succulent, and palatable forage. Cultivation of berseem has got a soil building characteristics and improves the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil resulting in better growth and yield of crops in rotation. Thus, berseem is very important forage crop from the view point of conservation farming and imparts sustainability to soil productivity and crop production system. Forage yield potential of berseem crop is very high because of its good regrowth capacity. The green fodder yield is about 1000-1200 quintals/ ha under improved agronomic management practices and favorable weather conditions. Five to six cuttings can be done under irrigation and one or two at the end of the cool season in dry land situation. The green forage of berseem on dry matter basis contains 12.8% crude protein, 26.7% crude fiber, 10.6% ash, 35.8% nitrogen free extract, and 1.4% ether extract.
