Paper Details

Name: Md. Aftab Alam
Email: aftabalamphd@gmail.com
Country: India

Year: 2025
Volume: Volume: 12, Issue: 2, (July-December)
Page Number: 145-155
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18161567

ABSTRACT
In flood-prone Darbhanga, grasses and sedges constitute the primary source of fodder for grazing cattle, though not all species are suitable due to unpalatable taste and potentially toxic nature. The presence of certain poisonous substances, particularly hydrocyanic acid (HCN), in forage crops can cause severe poisoning and prove fatal for grazing livestock. When plants are damaged through freezing, chewing, or trampling, cellular disruption facilitates the release of large quantities of prussic acid, thereby increasing toxicity risk. HCN concentrations of 0-25 mg/100 gm dry plant tissue are considered safe for grazing, levels of 50-75 mg/100 gm are
deemed doubtful, and concentrations exceeding 100 mg/100 gm are classified as highly dangerous. This study evaluated fourteen common grasses and sedges from the ravine land of Adhwara River, Ekmighat, for HCN content during the rainy season of 2014. Results indicated that none of the selected species showed positive results for prussic acid using the sodium picrate paper method, suggesting their suitability as safe forage options for livestock in the region.

Keywords: Prussic Acid, Hydrocyanic acid, Pastures, Ravine,
Forage toxicity,