Boryana Churkova and Katerina Churkova
Agricultural Academy, Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture, 5600 Troyan, Bulgaria
Churkova, B. & Churkova, K. (2025). Forage quality characteristics of meadow legume crops grown under mountain conditions. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 31 (3), 482–487
During the period 2020-2022, the following types of meadow legume crops were tested on light gray pseudopodzolic soil in the experimental field of Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture-Troyan under mountain conditions: Lotus corniculatus L., Trifolium hibridum L., Medicago sativa L., Trifolium pratense L., Trifolium repens L. The aim of the study was to determine their basic chemical composition. It was found that the grass stand type had a greater effect on the content of calcium, crude protein, crude fiber, and nitrogen-free extractable substances and to a lesser extent on crude fat and phosphorus. White clover combined the highest percentage of crude protein and the lowest in crude fiber, whose content was preserved over the years. Grass stands with bird’s-foot-trefoil and hybrid clover increased their protein content in the course of years. The least share of crude fiber was registered in white and hybrid clover (31.68% and 33.85%), whereas the most in alfalfa (44.23%). White clover is the most suitable type of legumes for mountain conditions. Moreover, it registered the highest crude protein content, the lowest crude fiber content and had the highest nitrogen-free extractable substances and phosphorus content.