Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LIX
Written by Ihsan ÇETIN, Mevlut TURK
This research was conducted to determine the effects of four harvesting stages (beginning of flowering, 50% flowering, full flowering and beginning of seed filling stages) on forage yield and quality of some vetch (Vicia spp) species. The common vetch (Vicia sativa L.), Hungarian vetch (Vicia pannonica Crantz.) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.) were used in this trial. Dry matter (DM) yield, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), total digestible nutrient (TDN) and relative feed value (RFV) were determined. According to results, the highest DM yield was obtained from hairy vetch. Harvesting at the late stages caused a reduction in forage quality. The CP, TDN and RFV decreased with advancing stages while DM yield, ADF and NDF contents increased in all vetch species.
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