Nutritional Composition and In Vitro Ruminal Digestibility of Crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.) in Monoculture or Interseeded with Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) and Lablab (Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet)

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of interseeding crabgrass (CG) with two annual summer legumes on forage nutritional composition, dry matter (DM) yield, and in vitro fiber digestibility. The study was conducted as a randomized complete block design with four replicates per treatment. Plots were randomly assigned to one of six forage mix treatments. Crabgrass, cowpea (CWP), and lablab (LL) were planted in monoculture or in mixtures, resulting in six treatments. Throughout the growing season (three cuts), CG had the highest biomass yield, followed by the CG grown in mixtures with CWP and LL, whereas the two annual legume monocultures had the lowest yield. Cowpea and LL planted in monocultures had the highest concentration of CP and fiber digestibility, while the CG monoculture had the lowest. Furthermore, growing CG in a mixture with CWP and LL boosted the CP concentration and fiber digestibility to intermediate levels to those observed between both legume monocultures and CG. Regardless of treatment, the highest forage quality and yield was observed in the first harvest, with a drastic decline in the following harvests. In conclusion, the benefits of mixing crabgrass with legumes might be less than expected and should be carefully evaluated by livestock producers, especially when considering the effects of DM yield, forage quality, and pasture seeding costs.

Gamma Radiation Effects on Dwarf Napier Grass Quality in Acidic Soil: A Study of Minerals and Rumen Fluids

“…Care and management the care of surgically modified animals was consistent with the guidelines (Bayne, 1998). The collection and preparation of rumen inoculum and buffer was described in (Aguerre et al, 2023).…”

Harnessing the Mineral Fertilization Regimes for Bolstering Biomass Productivity and Nutritional Quality of Cowpea (<i>Vigna unguiculata</i> L. Walp)

“…The economies of developing countries in south Asia particularly Pakistan and India rely heavily on livestock sector in order to ensure the food security of rapidly increasing population through sustainable generation of revenues (Iqbal et al, 2019). In the modern era, the economic competitiveness of dairy farmers depends in part on forage availability throughout the year in order to achieve sustainable milk productivity targets (Aguerre et al, 2023). The productivity and profitability of dairy animals are directly influenced by the type and nutritional value of feed especially during the summer months when the green forages become scare (Akdeniz et al, 2019).…”