Examination of the nutritional quality of forbs from mountainous pastures in the Southwestern Bohemia region

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the nutrient quality of grazing herbaceous plants. Analysis was performed on 175 samples from Taraxacum officinale, Alchemilla vulgaris, Achillea millefolium, Plantago lanceolata, P. major, Rumex obtusifolius and Ranunculus acris which were collected in the Sumava Mts area at an altitude of 650-790 m a.s.l.. Two cattle fitted with permanent rumen cannulae were used in the rumen degradability studies. The lowest content of crude protein (CP) was recorded in Ranunculus acris at 106.5 g/kg DM, and the highest in Rumex obtusifolius at 203.8 g/kg DM. The lowest contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) were found in Taraxacum officinale (236; 200.6 and 30.6 g/kg DM). Meanwhile Rumex obtusifolius had the highest ADL content at 115.7 g/kg DM. Digestibility of organic matter (OM) was highest in Taraxacum officinale (77%) and lowest in Rumex obtusifolius (58.4 %). Nitrogen free extract (NFE) and nonfibrous carbohydrate (NFC) content was highest in Alchemilla vulgaris (597.9 and 483.9 g/kg DM) and the lowest was in Rumex obtusifolius (505.7 and 338.2 g/kg DM). The highest content of metabolizable energy (ME) and net energy for lactation (NEL) was found in Taraxacum officinale (10.1 and 6 MJ/kg DM) and the lowest content in Rumex obtusifolius (7.3 and 4.1 MJ/kg DM). The highest NDF degradability throughout incubation in the rumen was recorded in Taraxacum officinale. The lowest NDF degradability was found in Rumex obtusifolius (198.1 to 581.8 g/kg) and Ranunculus acris (278.6 to 566 g/kg). The highest differences in degradation between these species were observed in Achillea millefolium, Plantago major and Rumex obtusifolius. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]