DETERMINATION OF FEED QUALITY PARAMETERS OF LEAVES AND STEMS OF DIFFERENT ALFALFA GENOTYPES

This research was carried out to determine feed quality parameters of leaves and stems of different alfalfa genotypes. A total of 12 alfalfa genotypes was used as the plant material for the study. Alfalfa plants were harvested at the flowering stage. The plants were dried at 70°C and grinded in a hand-mill with 1 mm sieve for chemical analysis. In leaf, the acid detergent fiber (ADF) content of genotypes varied between 21.62 - 27.40%, the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content between 33.98 - 39.95%, and crude protein content between 24.68 - 28.45%, whereas in stem ADF content of genotypes varied between 50.99 - 57.72%, NDF content between 66.96 - 76.79 %, crude protein content between 8.46 - 11.00%. The RFV ranged from 159.18 to 197.27% and 53.22 to 67.06% for leaf and stem respectively. The leaf to stem ratio of genotypes ranged from 0.72 to 1.60. Considering current results from different genotypes, genotype has a high effect on feed quality. In addition, the rate of leaf to stems is also effective on feed quality. While the protein ratio of the leaves was higher than the stems, the ADF and NDF contents were found to be lower than the stems. So, in the selection of alfalfa genotypes, attention should be paid to the leaf to stem ratio as well as the yield.