Abstract

GARCIA-BONILLA, Dulce Violeta; GUERRERO-RODRIGUEZ, Juan de Dios; GARCIA-DE LOS SANTOS, Gabino  and  LAGUNES-RIVERA, Sergio Alberto. Yield and quality of forage from genotypes of Lotus corniculatus in the State of Mexico. Nova scientia [online]. 2015, vol.7, n.13, pp.170-189. ISSN 2007-0705.

In Mexico the most widely used forage legumes for temperate climate are alfalfa and clovers, although they have good nutritional characteristics, they are not adapted to all soil types, and climates; additionally they have medium to high water demand and cause bloat. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the agronomic and nutritional potential of twelve genotypes of Lotus corniculatus L., a species that thrives under rainfed conditions in a wide range of pH and does not cause bloat. The experiment was established on a clay soil in Montecillo, Texcoco, State of Mexico under a randomized block design with four replications. Seven cuts were made with a frequency of 45 days. The variables measured were forage production (FP), plant hight (PH), neutral and acid detergent fiber (NDF, ADF), in vitro digestibility (IVD) and crude protein (CP). For digestibility and protein analyses, the plant material of several haversts in a season were pooled. Data analysis for the overall harvests were analyzed as a split plot arrangement, where the main plot were the genotypes and the small plot the harvest. The varieties and accessions showed differences in FP, NDF, ADF, CP and IVD (P ≤ 0.001). It is concluded that Lotus corniculatus L., show good agronomic characteristics, producing up to 7,400 kg MS ha^-1 on average per year with percentages of digestibility from 76 to 79 % and from 18 to 22.6 % of crude protein. From the 12 genotypes, considering criteria of forage production and quality, 10 showed good performance.

Keywords : birdsfoot trefoil; digestibility; protein.

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