Keywords: Silvipastoral system, forage species, performance

A study was conducted at IAAS livestock farm Rampur, from July 15, 2003 to May 31, 2004 to assess the shading effect of 12 years old Melia azadirach (Bakaino) planted at standard spacing of 5 x 5 m²on biomass production and nutritive value of leguminous forage species. The experiment was carried out in a split plot design with three replications; by using four different shading levels as main plot, and four species of forages in mixture as sub plots. The shading levels were heavy (approximately 25% photosynthetically active radiation), medium (approximately 35% photosynthetically active radiation), low (approximately 40% photosynthetically active radiation), and without tree shade (open), while the subplot treatments were Napier + Desmodium, Napier + Joint vetch; Blue panic + Desmodium, and Blue panic + Joint vetch. Sets of Napier and Blue panic were planted at 1 x 0.75 m², and the seeds of Desmodium and Joint vetch were sown in between two rows of grasses in a continued fashion on 1^st July 2003 in each sub plot. Each plot was with 12 m²in size. Morphological parameters such as plant height, number of branches per plant, and number of leaves per plant were observed. Fresh herbage mass, dried weight, and dry matter percentage per meter square area was also calculated. Among reproductive parameters, number of pods per plant, and number of seeds per pod for Joint vetch were also studied. Results showed that in the first year, the plant height was significantly higher in the case of open area (no shade) for legumes. The number of branches per plant in legumes was also significantly higher (P<0.01) in open followed by in the medium shade. Number of leaves per plant was also higher in open area compared to the shades whereas; Joint vetch had higher number of leaves per plant compared to the other forages throughout the study period. The total fresh herbage mass was higher in open, followed by that in the medium shade. In the medium shade, herbage mass was about 95% of that in open area while it was 68% in the case of dried weight yield of open. Likewise, the results also showed that the higher fresh herbage mass was obtained with Joint vetch throughout the experiment. The above findings suggest that cultivation of Joint vetch under the medium shade level under the mature stand of Melia azadirach could be one of the best alternative approach to cope with the present feed deficit condition in Nepal. However, further detail study to verify these results should be carried out for as field test in different locations before disseminating the results.