Quality and nutritive value analysis of perennial forage grasses under mountain conditions
Tatyana Bozhanska
, Biser Bozhanski
Abstract: The aim of the present study is related to the quality assessment of forage biomass from sown hay grasslands. The content of fibre structural components of cell walls and energy nutritive value of four species of perennial meadow grasses (Festuca rubra L., Lolium perenne L., Dactylis glomerata L. and Phleum pratense L.), grown in pure stands under conditions of the Middle Balkan Mountains (Bulgaria) were investigated.
On average over the period, the lowest content of neutral-detergent fibre (NDF), acid-detergent fibre (ADF) and acid-detergent lignin (ADL) was the forage mass of Lolium perenne L. Significant differences were found in the amount of NDF and ADL in the biomass of the perennial forage species. The mean values of these parameters ranged from 554.8 g kg-1 DM to 634.0 g kg-1 DM and from 41.1 g kg-1 DM to 64.1 g kg-1 DM, respectively.
Festuca rubra L. grasslands are proven to have the highest hemicellulose content. The exceedance of the values of the indicator compared to the average (256.1 g kg-1 DM) was 14.8%. For the experimental period, the biomass of Dactylis glomerata L. with the lowest cellulose content (269.7 g kg-1 DM) and the highest in vitro dry matter digestibility (631.8 g kg-1 DM). The biomass of Phleum pratense L. and Dactylis glomerata L. on with the highest energy nutritive value.
Fresh leaf mass of Lolium perenne L. was found to have the highest total plastid pigment content (280.21 mg/100 g FW). The excess over the mean value of the indicator was 22.1%.
Keywords: digestibility; forage quality; perennial meadow grasses; plastid pigments
Citation: Bozhanska, T. & Bozhanski, B. (2026). Quality and nutritive value analysis of perennial forage grasses under mountain conditions. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 32(2), 306–316
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| Date published: 2026-04-29
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