Nutritional value of galega (Galega orientalis Lam.) forage and silage for ruminants

Abstract

Amino acid composition, in situ ruminai degradation and intestinal digestion of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and individual amino acids (AA) of fresh and ensiled galega (Galega orientalis Lam.) were determined and their nutritional value calculated according to INRA (1988). Total AA (Trp excluded) in forage (1stcut, budding) was 81.3 g/16 g N, decreasing to 71.3 g/16 g N in wilted silage + Kemisile2000 (4 l/ton). The in situ degradation coefficients (k=0.06) for CP and DM in galega forage were higher than in silage (69.5 and 64.4 vs 56.4 and 45.1%); similar relationships were found for total AA degradation after 16 h incubation in the rumen (87.4 vs 66.9%). The mobile nylon bag intestinal digestibility of CP, total AA and DM in wilted silage vs forage was 61.5 and 68.2; 71.6 and 74.2; 21.1 and 23.5%, respectively. The content of PDIA, PDIN and PDIE in galega fodder was slightly higher than in lucerne forage and silage; the energy values were close.