Productivity and nutritional value of twoand three-component mixtures of vetch, pea and oats
The paper reports on productivity, chemical composition and energy value of annual mixtures of oats, pea and vetch at various growth stages. Cultivation techniques was performed according to Standard, developed for the respective zone. The more the ratio of legumes in the mixture the higher the content of protein in green mass. However, lodging affected grasses. Variation in chemical composition happened when plant grew in grass mixtures: contents of fiber, nitrogen-free extractive substances and starch increased while sugar and carotene concentration dropped. Energy value increased and made up above 9 MJ of exchange energy in 1 kg of dry mass. When cutting height was changed from 9 to 25 cm energy value of green mass improved from 2.65 to 2.78 MJ of exchange energy, protein content - from 48 to 60.5 g. Oat-vetch-pea grass mixture gave high-quality green mass. Energy and biological value of the cut mass could be optimized by harvesting at different growth stages and variation in cutting height which is important in feeding of highly productive dairy cows.