The nutritive value of Valjevac grassland - Zasavica reservation

Abstract

Valjevac pasture of Zasavica reservation with its area of 300 ha presents a significant area for grazing cattle. In order to evaluate its potential for livestock production, the botanical and chemical composition of hay in three different time periods was observed (spring, summer and autumn). The determined plants species confirmed the richness of Zasavica grasslands, as well as the presence of dry, moist and forest habitat plants. The analyzed plants mostly belong to the Poaceae, Fabaceae, Asteraceae and Plantaginaceae families. Chemical analysis determined that the protein content decreased (P<0.01) from April (17.22±0.40 %) to October (10.30±0.16 %), and cellulose content increased (P<0.01) (from 19.07±0.38 % in April to 21.65±0.41 % in October). The calculated energy density of hay samples ranged from 0.425 Starch Units (SU) in October, 0.443 SU in April to 0.448 SU in June. The Valjevac pasture with its numerous plant species is of great importance in upkeeping biodiversity and also presents a solid base for livestock production. The determined levels of manganese and copper point out to the need of copper supplementation especially during the late summer and autumn periods. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III46002]

Keywords

• cattle
• hay
• nutritive value
• Zasavica