Nutritive value of forage biomass from birdsfoot trefoil in mixtures with cocksfoot, tall fescue and land clover

Viliana Vasileva, Yordanka Naydenova

Abstract: Forage quality characteristics of biomass from mixtures of birdsfoot trefoil and cocksfoot (50:50%), birdsfoot trefoil and tall fescue (50:50%), and the same mixtures with the addition of third component, i.e. subterranean clover in their composition (33:33:33%) were measured. The work was performed on the experimental field of Institute of Forage Crops, Pleven, Bulgaria with birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) (cv. Targovishte 1), cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) (cv. Dabrava), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) (cv. Albena) and three subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) subspecies – Trifolium subterraneum ssp. brachycalicinum (cv. Antas), Trifolium subterraneum ssp. yaninicum (cv. Trikkala) and Trifolium subterraneum ssp. subterraneum (cv. Denmark). It was found that biomass from the birdsfoot trefoil, cocksfoot and subterranean clover mixtures had generally higher forage quality than the same mixtures containing tall fescue: more balanced principal chemical composition (higher crude protein content by 1.74%–units and lower crude fiber content by 0.39%-units), more dygestible (with 6.37%-units), higher energy (UFL–UFV, by 0.040–0.048) and protein nutritive value (PBD–PDIN–PDIE, by 17–11–7 g/kg dry matter). Forage biomass from birdsfoot trefoil, cocksfoot and Trifolium subterraneum ssp. brachycalicinum mixtures showed the highest crude protein content (13.96%) and lowest crude fiber content (26.37%), highest dygestibility (65.96%), both, energy (UFL–UFV 0.727–0.623) and protein nutritive value (PBD–PDIN–PDIE 98–88–86 g/kg dry matter).

Keywords: birdsfoot trefoil; in vitro digestibility; mixtures; nutritive value; subterranean clover

Date published: 2018-10-04