Effect of Tillage and Nitrogen Rates on Fodder Productivity and Juice Quality of Sweet Sorghum (Sorghum bicolar L.) in Himalayan Foothills of India

India) during Kharif seasons of 2011 and 2012 to study the effect of tillage and nitrogen rates on fodder productivity and juice quality of sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolar L.) in Himalayan foothills of India.The tillage options i.e. conventional tillage (CT), subsoiling followed by rotatvator (SSfbR)), subsoiling deep placement (40cm) followed by rotatvator (DPfbR) and differential rate placement of fertilizer (25 & 50 cm depth) followed by rotavator (DRFfbR)) in main plot and nitrogen rates i.e. control, 40, 80 and 120 kg/ha in subplot was planted in split plot design with foutr replications.The experimental results revealed that the growth attributes, fodder yield, crude protein content, crude protein yield, HCN content, sugar yield, and ethanol yield were recorded highest under DRFfbR that produced 23.8, 13.5, and 6.3% higher green fodder yield and 19.3, 17.1 and 9.8% higher dry fodder yield than conventional tillage, SSfbR, and DPfbR, respectively.Similarly the crude protein content, crude protein yield, HCN content, sugar yield and ethanol yield were also recorded higher under DRFfb R that gave 3.2, 23.7, 2.7, 43.8 and 47.4% higher than CT, respectively.The green and dry fodder yields increased significantly with increasing levels and highest values were obtained at 120 Kg N/ha that had 6.9 and 7.1% higher than 80 kg N/ha, respectively.The crude protein content, crude protein yield, HCN content, sugar yield and ethanol yield were also 4.9, 48.5, 3.1, 73.2 and 70.6% higher under 120 kg N/ha, respectively than control.It is therefore concluded that the phosphorus and potash should be placed at differential depth (25cm and 50cm) coupled with 120 kg N/ha as recommended for higher yield and juice quality of sweet sorghum in Himalayan foothills of India and may also be replicated in similar agro-climatic zones of India..