Feeding value estimation of perennial ryegrass, alfalfa and their mixtures

Yordanka Naydenova, Anelia Katova

Abstract: The field trial was carried out in the Institute of Forage crops – Pleven (2012 – 2014) with the aim to study forage feeding value from the first perennial ryegrass Bulgarian variety Harmoniya and tetraploid breeding population NBG in pure stand and in mixture with the most spread alfalfa varieties Pleven 6 and Dara. The energy and protein feeding values of the dry biomass from perennial multi-cutting forage species were estimated. It was found that: digestible dry matter of perennial ryegrass Harmoniya in pure stand was higher in comparison with tetraploid breeding population, but NBG was distinguished with higher dry matter intake and relative feeding value by 8 – 9%. NBG had the highest values for feeding value for milk and growth FUM and FUG. The alfalfa variety Pleven 6 in pure stand had higher digestible dry matter than variety Dara. Comparing the species by FUM and FUG the following descending order was found: perennial ryegrass NBG, alfalfa Dara, alfalfa Pleven 6 and perennial ryegrass Harmoniya. The mixture Harmoniya and Pleven 6 had the highest digestible dry matter and dry
matter intake and next in order was mixture NBG and Dara. Two mentioned mixtures had the highest relative feeding value. Growing perennial ryegrass in mixture with alfalfa increased the protein feeding value and the best mixtures were NBG and Dara, and Harmoniya and Pleven 6.

Keywords: alfalfa; feeding value; forage; grass-legume mixtures; perennial ryegrass; pure stand

Date published: 2017-08-09