Production and quality of fresh and wrapped forage from a sub-alpine meadow in relation to cutting stage

摘要

A three-year trial was set up on a natural sub-alpine meadow (210 m asl.) at Samolaco (Lombardy, Italy) in order to study the effects of the cutting stage on the quality of fresh and wrapped forage from the first growth cycle. Cuttings at the stage "heads at 10 cm within the sheath" (B) and at the stage of head emergence of Italian ryegrass (C) yielded on average over 13 t DM/ha/yr. With early topping (A) the quality of fresh and of wrapped forage was excellent, and the Feed Unit production (for lactation) was comparable to that of the later cuts. Early cuts favoured the development of dicots.