Chemical Composition of Fodder: Green Mass and Silage Quality of Galega orientalis Lam

Abstract

Due to better chemical composition, galega is preferable to the traditional fodder plants of red clover and timothy. In order to supply protein rich forage during the year and to produce high quality silage, legume mixtures with grasses with high content of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) are appealing. Possibilities include early flowering stage fodder galega in mixtures with orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata L.), timothy (Phleum pratense L.), milk stage maize and sugar beet leaves were studied at the Research Station and Training farm of the Lithuanian University of Agriculture in 1998-1999. Fresh matter was cut at a length of 12-13 mm, thoroughly pressed and hermetically packed in 31 jars. All silage kept for 6.5 months at 3-5°C under laboratory conditions. 0.3% formaldehyde pitch of carbamide was applied to galega-maize (1:1) silage. The chemical composition was determined by standardized methods at the Agrochemical laboratory of LUA; the metabolizable energy (ME) and netto energy of lactation (NEL) of DM feeds were also calculated. The results indicate that the quality of pure treated crop silages was low (II class or less) due to an unbalanced ratio of proteins and WSCs. It was concluded that fodder galega is fit to ensile with a grass component which accumulated not less than 30% DM. The lowest losses (7.8%) of feed matter were determined in galega-orchard grass (1:1) silage.