Reza Yari; Moslem Rostampour; Seyedeh Mahbubeh Mirmiran
Abstract
Estimating the nutritional value of forage is one of the main aspects of livestock management in rangelands. Since medicinal plants have a major contribution to the composition of rangeland vegetation, this research was conducted to determine the nutritional value of nine species of medicinal plants ...
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Estimating the nutritional value of forage is one of the main aspects of livestock management in rangelands. Since medicinal plants have a major contribution to the composition of rangeland vegetation, this research was conducted to determine the nutritional value of nine species of medicinal plants in the two stages of vegetative growth and flower in the rangelands of southern Khorasan province . samples were collected and drying , the percentage of crude protein, acid detergent fiber , neutral detergent fiber , dry matter digestibility and metabolizable energy were determined. To statistically analyze the data, a factorial experiment in the form of a completely random design with two factors: species in 9 levels and stage in 2 levels (vegetation and flowering) was used. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. The results showed that all studied traits were affected by the interaction of plant species and phenological stage. Increasing the length of growth from the vegetative stage to flowering in most species caused a decrease in crude protein, percentage of dry matter digestibility and metabolizable energy, and an increase in the percentage of acid detergent fiber . The highest amount of crude protein and digestibility of dry matter was observed in Ru.scutatus species at the vegetative stage. In this investigation, the amount of protein, digestibility and metabolic energy were observed in amounts above the critical limit in the vegetative stage and in Thymus kotschyanus, Rumex scutatus and Ferula haussknechtii species. Therefore, the end of the growing season with the reduction of essential oil in these species can be considered as the right time for livestock grazing in these species.
