Specialists of FSBSI “Tatar Science and Research Institute for Agriculture”: deadlines are very important for fodder procurement

Hay is an important component of the nutritious diet for cattle during wintering. Hay making creates opportunities to unlock full genetic potential of animal fertility. An important factor of top quality hay is grass cutting in the early phases of vegetation.

Leguminose grasses should be cut at the budding stage but not later than the blooming stage while grasses should be cut in the earing phase but not later than the beginning of flowering.

At too early cutting of leguminose grasses, we often get the hay which incurs spontaneous damping that sufficiently decreases its quality and damages the hay. Late cutting is fraught with sufficient losses of the most important parts of plants: leaves, blooms, flowers.

Thus, for example, at harvesting of medick at the full blooming stage in the 1st cutting we get 1.3 times less dry basis, 1.7 time less carotene and crude protein, 2.6 times less essential amino acids than at cutting at the blooming stage.

At grass cutting during the blooming stage instead of the booting stage, in dry basis the content of crude protein decreases by 30%, carotene – by 50%, available energy – by 15%, while the content of cellulose increases by 25-30%. At leguminose grass cutting during the full blooming stage instead of the budding stage, in dry basis the content of crude protein decreases by 25%, carotene – by 60%, available energy – by 15%, while the content of cellulose increases by 25%.

Thus, at late harvesting fertilizer effectiveness, effectiveness from agrotechnical activities which increase grass stand yield come to naught, while advantages of leguminose grasses cultivation decrease.

Animal breeders should remember that in comparison with grasses leguminose grasses should be cut in a shorter time, hay is better made from grasses and grass mixture of grasses and leguminose grasses while leguminose grasses are better for flour, haylage and silage making.