Kern 788 Amar Rye Grass

Amar Ghaas (Kern 788) is a multi-cut rye grass for Rabi winter fodder — soft, tender green feed for dairy animals through the coldest months, when most other fodder is finished or too coarse.

Land and sowing window

• Sowing: September – October; the last week of September to the first week of October is the best time (PAU)
• Soil: medium to heavy soils of good fertility, well levelled. Prepare a fine, firm seedbed with 3–4 ploughings and planking — the seed is small
• Cold: suited to Punjab, Haryana and Himachal winters — it keeps growing through the cold when other fodder slows down
• With berseem: commonly sown together with berseem; the two complement each other in a dairy ration

How to sow

• Seed rate (pure crop): 3 kg per acre, broadcast (PAU). Mix the seed with moist soil for even spreading, then rake and irrigate immediately
• Mixed with berseem: 2–3 kg per acre with the full berseem seed rate, or 1 kg per acre where berseem is already mixed with oats or sarson. Broadcast the rye grass first, then the berseem, rake and irrigate
• Depth: shallow — small seed should not be buried deep
• Pack size: 500 g

Manure and fertiliser (per acre)

• FYM: 15–20 tonnes of well-rotted manure at land preparation (PAU)
• Nitrogen (N): 15 kg (33 kg urea) at sowing and 15 kg about 30 days later; then 30 kg N (66 kg urea) immediately after every cut
• In a berseem mixture: 10 kg N (22 kg urea) per acre after each cut, on top of the berseem's usual phosphorus dose

Water, weeds and pests

• Irrigation: first irrigation immediately after sowing, the second about 5 days later, then every 10 days or so depending on the weather
• After each cut: irrigate soon after cutting and top-dress nitrogen — the routine after each cut decides the next one
• Weeds: hand-weed if needed. Do not spray any herbicide — rye grass is very sensitive to weedicides (PAU)
• Pests: no major pest or disease is listed for rye grass in North India; uproot and destroy any affected plants

Harvest

• Cutting: multi-cut — sown once, cut repeatedly through the winter and into spring
• Schedule: first cut about 55 days after sowing, then about every month — 5–6 cuts from November to May (PAU)
• Cut height: do not cut so low that you damage the growing crowns
• Fodder: soft and tender, so animals eat it readily and leave little stalk behind

Crop practices follow state agricultural university recommendations for North India; confirm doses for your district with your Kern dealer or KVK.

Please quote product code KERN-788 when ordering.

Agronomy helpline: 9107062062