Yields and Nutritive Value of Cuttings of Permanent Pasture Harvested as Dried Forage

Yield and nutritive value of sainfoin (Onobrychis vicifolia Scop.) populations in different cuttings

Sainfoin (Onobrychis vicifolia Scop.) is one of the most important forage legumes cultivated as high quality forage. Fifty three species have been identified in this genus in Iran. A field experiment was conducted using randomized complete block design to compare yield and forage quality of 20 populations of sainfoin in Isfahan Agricultural and Natural Resources Center, Iran during 2013 – 2014....

Mineral Composition and Nutritive Value of Some Common Pasture Weeds

Organic dairy farmers often introduce alternative pasture species, such as chicory (Cichorium intybus) and narrow-leaved plantain (Plantago lanceolata), to their swards because of their higher mineral contents, yet they are concerned about the presence of weed species such as docks (Rumex spp.) and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). The mineral content and nutritive value of both desired and les...

Defining Forage Quality Subtitle: Nutritive Value of Southern Forages

Influence of drought stress on nutritive value of perennial forage legumes

In the next decades, forage legumes are likely to become more important. However, predicted climate change may increase the risk of droughts and thus influence their agricultural performance. Decreases in yield due to water shortage are well documented, while influences on nutritive values are inconsistent. Therefore, we examined the effects of drought on crude protein (CP), neutral deterge...

Irrigated Birdsfoot Trefoil Variety Trial: Forage Nutritive Value

Birdsfoot trefoil is a high-quality forage recommended for irrigated perennial pastures, either in mixtures with grasses or in pure stands. In this bulletin we report on the forage nutritive value of pure stands of birdsfoot trefoil harvested at 6week intervals, and compare it to alfalfa harvested at the same intervals. We found that the digestibility of the two forages was similar, but that al...