Production of Preserved Forage for Horses under Water Scarcity Conditions: A Case Study

Abstract

The Mediterranean region is one of the areas most affected by climate change, which influences the production of forages. This has led producers to change from one to several forage cuttings, aiming to maintain crop productivity in increasingly water-scarce conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the nutrient content and productivity of forage produced for horses when subjected to variable water availability conditions at a Lusitano stud farm located in the central region of Portugal. The soil water content was evaluated throughout the growing season, using the gravimetric method, with soil samples collected every 15 days. Forage samples were collected from three grass cuttings (two for haylage and one for hay production), harvested from the same sward during the 2018/2019 growing season. The nutrient content of the forage samples was determined by chemical analysis. The global productivity throughout the crop-growing season was 8.3 t DM·ha−1, with the second harvest presenting the highest productivity (3.42 t DM·ha−1), corresponding to an adequate water supply, whereas the last cut, produced under water deficit conditions, presented the lowest productivity (2.1 t DM·ha−1). The estimated nutritive value by chemical composition analysis for both haylage and hay fell within the range reported in the literature for preserved forages for horses.

Keywords

• hay
• haylage
• productivity
• nutritive content
• water deficit