Abstract

LAGUNES RIVERA, Sergio Alberto et al. Dry matter yield and nutritional values of four herbaceous legumes in a humid tropical environment in Hueytamalco, Puebla, Mexico. Rev. mex. de cienc. pecuarias [online]. 2019, vol.10, n.4, pp.1042-1053.  Epub Apr 30, 2020. ISSN 2448-6698.  https://doi.org/10.22319/rmcp.v10i4.4660.

Dry matter yield and nutritional data are needed before forage legumes can be proposed for inclusion in livestock systems. An evaluation was done of the dry matter (DM) yield, concentrations of neutral and acid detergent fiber (NDF and ADF) and crude protein (CP), and in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD) of the forage legumes Stylosanthes guianensis (SG), Centrosema macrocarpum (CM), Pueraria phaseoloides (PP) and Arachis pintoi (AP). During an eleven-month period six cuts were made of these legumes at 56-d intervals. Experimental plots were 3 x 7 m, and analyses were done using a completely random block design with four replicates. Overall DM yield was higher (P≤0.05) in SG (19,410 kg DM ha-1) and CM (17,462 kg DM ha-1), than in PP (14,704 kg DM ha-1) and AP (12,466 kg DM ha-1). Arachis pintoi had the lowest NDF (60%) and ADF (35 %) contents (P≤0.05). Digestibility was highest in AP (74 %), followed by SG (62%), PP (57 %) and CM (55 %). Crude protein content was highest (P≤0.05) in AP and CM (21 %) followed by SG (19 %) and PP (17.8 %). Although DM yield was highest in SG and CM, and digestibility and crude protein content were highest in AP, all four forage legume species exhibited sufficiently high nutritional values and DM production to make them alternative protein sources for ruminants with low-nutrient diets.

Keywords : Nutritional quality; Yield; Herbaceous legumes.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English | Spanish     · English ( pdf ) | Spanish ( pdf )