The Productivity and Quality of Galega Orientalis, Cultivar ‘SOFIA’

Victor Țîţei

 Grădina Națională Botanică (Institutul) „Alexandru Ciubotaru”
Universitatea de Stat din Republica Moldova

Keywords: biochemical composition, biochemical methane potential, cultivar ‘SOFIA’, forage quality, Galega orientalis, productivity.

 Abstract: The Fabaceae species are of great agroeconomic importance. The local cultivar ‘SOFIA’ of eastern galega, Galega orientalis Lam., family Fabaceae, maintained in monoculture on the experimental sector in the NBGI Chişinău, served as objects of study.
The eastern galega plants, in the third year of vegetation, in the flowering stage, which occurs in the middle of May, reach 120-140 cm, the annual productivity for 3 cuts reached 9.1 kg/m2 green mass or 2.1 kg/m2 dry matter with 58.9-71.7% leaves content.
We found that the dry matter content of whole plants and its quality indices varied depending on the mowing period: 145-200 g/kg CP, 108-121 g/kg ash, 292-355 g/kg CF, 315-390 g/kg ADF, 503-636 g/kg NDF, 49-56 g/kg ADL, 265-341 g/kg Cel, 188-346 g/kg HC with 58.5-64.4% DMD, RFV= 90-129, 11.61-12.66 MJ/kg DE, 9.53-10.40 MJ/kg ME, 5.55-6.41 MJ/kg NEl. The prepared hay contained 165-171g/kg CP, 106-124 g/kg ash, 327-363 g/kg CF, 339-401 g/kg ADF, 495-627g/kg NDF, 53-60 g/kg ADL, 286-341 g/kg Cel, 156-226g/kg HC with 57.7-62.5% DMD, RFV= 90-117, 11.46-12.32 MJ/kg DE, 9.41-10.12 MJ/kg ME, 5.42-6.13 MJ/kg NEl. The eastern galega haylage prepared from 1st cut green mass is characterized by pleasant smell and color, the nutrient and feed energy values of dry matter were: 196 g/kg CP, 148g/kg ash, 340g/kg CF, 369 g/kg ADF, 611 g/kg NDF, 44 g/kg ADL, 325 g/kg Cel, 242 g/kg HC, 60.2% DMD, RFV= 92, 11.91-MJ/kg DE, 9.78MJ/kg ME, 5.79MJ/kg NEl.
Results revealed that the fresh mass and fermented mass substrates for anaerobic digestion for renewable energy production had optimal carbon nitrogen ratio C/N=20 and estimated biochemical methane potential of the studied substrates varied from 315 to 345 l/kg VS.
The cultivar ‘SOFIA’ is characterized by high productivity and can be used in monoculture or as component of the mix of grasses for the creation of temporary grasslands. The green mass may be used as feed for livestock as natural fodder, hay, haylage, also as substrates in biogas reactors via anaerobic digestion for renewable energy production.
The research was financially supported by NARD project no. 20.80009.5107.02. “Mobilization of plant genetic resources, plant breeding and use as forage, melliferous and energy crops in bioeconomy”.