Barseem

Land Preparation

Step 1: Soil Testing
Conduct soil tests to determine nutrient status and guide fertilizer recommendations.

Step 2: Land Tillage

Plough the field 2–3 times with a disc plough or cultivator.

Level the soil properly for even irrigation.

Step 3: Organic Matter Application

Apply Humic Acid (Agritas Product) to improve soil structure, water retention, and nutrient uptake.

Seed Rate and Sowing

Seed Rate: 20–25 kg per hectare of certified barseem seed.

Sowing Time: Mid-September to early November (Punjab & KPK).

Sowing Method:

Broadcast or sow in rows (20–25 cm apart).

Seed depth: 1–2 cm in fine soil.

Fertilization

Basal Dose: Apply NPK 20:20:20 (Agritas Product) @ 50–60 kg/ha at land preparation.

Top Dressing: After every cut, apply Potash 51% (Agritas Product) @ 20 kg/ha for regrowth and vigor.

Irrigation Management

First Irrigation: Immediately after sowing.

Subsequent Irrigation: Every 10–15 days, depending on soil moisture.

Avoid waterlogging to prevent root rot.

Weed Control

Weed Damage Control Product
Dodder (Amar Bel) Its seed sprouts with the barseem, and the patch its young threads catch hold of gives thin, weak fodder at every cutting. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Bathu (Lambsquarters) It germinates thick with the first irrigation and takes the nitrogen and light before barseem covers the ground, so the first cutting is light. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Sweet Clover (Senji) It comes up in among the barseem and cannot be rogued out once mixed, and its bitter stalks spoil the taste of the fodder. Pendimethalin 33%EC
Chicory (Kasni) Its flat rosette presses the young barseem down and holds the ground, leaving a bald patch for the whole season. Pull it out by hand before the first cutting
Bermuda Grass (Khabbal) Its runners come back after every cutting and take over an old stand, so the later cuttings are more grass than fodder. Kill it in the fallow with repeated deep ploughing before sowing

Pre-Emergence:

Pendimethalin 33%EC (Agritas Product) @ 1 litre per acre, sprayed on the levelled soil after sowing, before the barseem and the weeds come up. Once the seed is in the ground this is the only weedkiller that goes on a barseem field.

Dodder (Amar Bel) arrives in the seed bag, so the seed is where it is stopped: sow sieved or certified dodder-free seed, and cut out and burn the first amar bel patches before their threads flower — otherwise its seed goes back into your own bag for next year. The pre-emergence spray only supports this; it does not replace it.

Before Sowing (empty field only):

Khabbal that has taken over an old stand is killed on the fallow, not in the crop: repeated deep ploughing, or Repcil (Glyphosate 480 g/L, 41% w/w SL) sprayed on the green khabbal of the empty field, several days clear of cultivation and well before sowing. Take the rate from the pack — your Haryali Markaz will confirm it. Repcil is not selective; it kills barseem as fast as the grass, so it must never be sprayed on a standing stand, neither between the rows nor as a spot spray.

After the crop is up:

There is no selective spray for standing barseem in this catalogue, and this fodder is cut every 25–30 days and fed green to animals. Weeds that show in the crop are taken out by hand or with the cutting.

Pest and Disease Management

Pests:

Pest Control Product Dose
Aphids Take them off with the cutting — do not spray a stand that will be fed green within days —
Armyworm Wriar 40% EC (Chlorpyrifos), on fresh regrowth straight after a cutting only 250 ml/ha

This fodder is cut every 25–30 days and fed green, so whatever is sprayed on it reaches the animals and the milk within days. Spray only in the window straight after a cutting, as in Crop Protection After Cutting below, and ask your Haryali Markaz how many days must pass before the next cut.

Diseases:

Disease Control Product Dose
Downy Mildew Cure Jet 72% WP (Cymoxanil + Mancozeb) 500 g/ha
Powdery Mildew Vesant 80% (Sulphur 80%) 1 kg/ha
Leaf Spot Noas 25% EC (Difenoconazole) 200 ml/ha

Harvesting

First Cut: 45–50 days after sowing (height 50–60 cm).

Subsequent Cuts: Every 25–30 days.

Expected Yield: 80–100 tons/ha green fodder (5–6 cuts/season).

Crop Protection After Cutting

Pest Control: Apply Tueric 11% SC (Cyromazine + Abamectin) @ 300 ml/ha for mites and sucking pests.

Fungal Control: Apply Rhume 56% SC (Chlorothalonil + Azoxystrobin) @ 250 ml/ha during humid conditions.

For Product Info or Agronomic Advice:

Agritas UAN: +92 336 1111 130

Pests & diseases of Barseem

Mitesmedium Aphidsmedium Fall Armywormhigh Armywormhigh Powdery Mildewmedium Downy Mildewmedium Salinity and Sodicityhigh Phosphorus Deficiencymedium Micronutrient Deficiencymedium