Effects of plant diseases on crop residues used for peri-urban dairy production on the Deccan Plateau

Increased milk production in India will require improved yields of higher-quality crop residues for animal fodder. In Andhra.Pradesh State;'.on.the Deccan Plateau, groundnut crop residues are the.main source of dry fodder for dairy animals. However, the nutritive value of crop residues is often low, and both, sorghum and groundnut are susceptible to a number of diseases that reduce production and quality. Additionally, the development of mycotoxins by fungi on the residues is a serious threat to animal health and, through milk, to human health. In an attempt to tackle these constraints, disease-resistant; dual-purpose cultivars have been distributed to farmers, and village-level seed multiplication/distribution systems following integrated management of foliar diseases have been successfully developed; Farmers identified groundnut cultivar ICGV 91114- as outstanding for both grain and haulm production and quality. Farm surveys confirmed the higher yields of the new cultivar, and laboratory analyses and on-farm feeding trials showed improved nutritive value and milk production. The use of ICGV 91114 as part of an integrated disease management strategy will lead to improved food security and increased incomes. To achieve this, farmers must have assured access to good-quality seed. Unlike sorghum, for which the private seed industry can serve as a multiplier of jmproved cultivars, community-based seed-production systems for groundnut, will need to be established through farmer self-help qroups and NGOs in order' to achieve widespread seed dissemination