Quality of Silage of Mixed Sunchoke and Lucerne Forage

Abstract

The paper presents the chemical composition, nutritional and usable value of sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) and the possibility of using it for animal nutrition in fresh and canned form. Tests show that sunchoke cut in mid-June contains about 9.43% of crude protein, 2.49% of crude fat, 19.93% of crude cellulose, 50.50% of NFE (nitrogen-free extractives) and 17.65% of ash in the dry matter. Although lucerne biomass had a more favorable chemical composition (18.13% crude protein, 6.72% crude fat, 25.24% crude cellulose, 39.35% BEM and 10.56% ash), the benefits of sunchoke are in the more successful growing in less favorable natural, primarily soil conditions, the more suitable it is for ensiling and the longer it stays on one planted plot. Since it is predominantly an energy (carbohydrate) nutrient, the possibility of ensiling the green biomass of sunchoke in a mixture with 25, 50 and 75% fresh lucerne (25% dry matter) was investigated. The obtained results show that with the increase of lucerne participation, the nutritional value of silage increases, but the quality decreases. In addition to its role in conventional feed production, sunchoke can be an important plant in the system of organic production, production for industrial processing and for extensive cultivation in hunting grounds.