Published in Scientific Papers. Series A. Agronomy, Vol. LXIII, Issue 1
Written by Victor ŢÎŢEI
The identification of alternative crops that need less water and produce increased yields of organic matter per unit of water is important for agricultural sustainability. Amaranthus species are C4 dicotyledonous plants characterized by effective photosynthesis, intensive nitrogen metabolism and good adaptability. The aim of this paper was to evaluate some biological peculiarities, the quality of green mass and produced silage from Amaranthus hypochondriacus, as well as the possibility of using it as feed for ruminant animals and as feedstock for the production of biomethane. The results of our rJesearch revealed that the dry matter of harvested whole plants contained 172 g/kg CP, 330 g/kg ADF, 462 g/kg NDF, 55 g/kg ADL, 68 g/kg TSS and 88 g/kg ash, 275 g/kg Cel and 132 g/kg HC with 10.22 MJ/kg metabolizable energy and 6.23 MJ/kg net energy for lactation. The prepared silage was characterized by agreeable colour with pleasant smell and pH 3.86, it contained 13.4 g/kg DM lactic acid, 5.8 g/kg DM acetic acid, 877.6 g/kg DM organic matter, 167 g/kg CP, 348 g/kg ADF, 516 g/kg NDF, 45 g/kg ADL, 303 g/kg Cel and 156 g/kg HC with 10.05 MJ/kg metabolizable energy and 6.02 MJ/kg net energy for lactation. It has been found that the biomethane potential of the Amaranthus hypochondriacus biomass varied from 282 to 303 l/kg ODM. Amaranthus hypochondriacus contains many nutrients, which make it suitable to be used as fodder for animals and has potential as feedstock for biomethane production.
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