Feeding Systems with Legumes to Intensify Dairy Farms - cgiar

Table 2. Nutritive quality of Cratylia argentea at two ages of regrowth and
three cutting heights during 1999-2000 (Esparza, Costa Rica).
Age of regrowth
(days)
60 a
90 b
Quality
(%)
30
Cutting height
(cm)
60 90
58
Average
Crude protein 17.4 a* 17.2 a 17.7 a 17.4
NDF 53.5 a 55.9 a 58.3 a 55.9
ADF 43.1 a 43.0 a 44.1 a 43.4
Lignin 14.8 a 16.0 a 16.1 a 15.6
Crude protein 15.4 a 15.0 b 15.6 b 15.3
NDF 58.6 b 58.5 a 61.2 a 59.4
ADF 44.9 a 44.7 a 44.1 a 44.6
Lignin 15.8 a 16.3 a 16.2 a 16.1
a. Average of 11 cuttings.
b. Average of 8 cuttings.
* Averages in the same column followed by the same letters do not differ significantly (P < 0.05),
according to Duncan´s test.
The CP content in C. argentea varies broadly from 25% at 12 weeks of
age (Franco, 1997) to 20% at 8 weeks regrowth (Valerio, 1994). Xavier and
Carbalho (1995) reported that, at 84 days, nitrogen content of C. argentea is
low, approximately 3%, which is equivalent to 20% CP. These values are
within the limits observed for other tropical legumes. Franco(1997) found CP
values of 23% at 2 months regrowth and values of 21% at 3 months
regrowth. These values were higher than those found in the present study.
Significant differences in NDF content occurred between the two ages of
regrowth when the cutting height was 30 cm (P = 0.0245). However, the
highest NDF values always occurred in cuttings at 90 days because the
amount of woody material is greater then (Figure 2).
In addition to the contribution of C. argentea to the quality of forage-onoffer,
in the analysis carried out in 1999 soil OM increased 1% (3.1% in
1996 vs. 4.1% in 1999) because of the high amounts of recycled material,
especially leaves.