Production performance and chemical composition of various hydroponic fodder species

Abstract

Traditional agricultural system is heavily dependent on soil and natural environment. It is encountering significant challenges from climate change, soil degradation, and water scarcity. Hydroponic fodder production offers as an alternative solution to traditional agricultural system of fodder cultivation which does not rely on soil and can be produced in controlled environment while yielding highly nutritious fodder. This study assesses biomass production, plant height, primary root length, chlorophyll index, nutritional content and economic feasibility of five hydroponic fodder species which includes maize (Zea mays), wheat (Triticum aestivum), oat (Avena sativa), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), and cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata). The research was conducted at Dr. Purnendu Gain field laboratory and Animal Husbandry laboratory at Khulna University, Bangladesh. Experimental design was completely randomized design (CRD). Seeds were carefully selected, prepared, and grown in a controlled environment. It was harvested at 11^th day after germination. Results indicated that oat consistently achieved the highest biomass yield, peaking at 1254.22g ± 249.98 from 250 g seeds on day 11, followed closely by cowpea at 1045.22 g ± 71.57 from same quantity of seeds. Oat also maintained the highest plant height reaching up to 19.81 cm ± 1.34 by day 11. Maize showed the longest root length, measuring of 28.59 cm ± 0.120. Cowpea demonstrated the highest chlorophyll levels across all days. Wheat was proved to be the most cost-effective options. Highest dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), ether extract (EE), total ash (TA) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) was found in wheat (26.62% ± 2.91), cowpea (25.80% ± 0.48), oat (19.31% ± 1.62), maize (3.59% ± 0.17), cowpea (9.61% ± 0.36) and maize (54.15% ± 2.48), respectively. The results demonstrated the potential of hydroponic fodder production as a viable, sustainable solution for livestock farming, particularly in regions where traditional fodder cultivation is constrained.