Abstract
Perennial legumes, alfalfa, red clover, bird's foot trefoil, white clover, sainfoin and grasses, cock's foot, meadow fescue, tall fescue, Italian ryegrass, English ryegrass, French ryegrass, red fescue and Timothy grass can be grown successfully in pure crops and in legume-grass mixtures, on different soil types. Their importance in livestock development is based primarily on the great potential for yield of dry matter of over 20 t ha-1 if adequate agro-technical measures have been applied. Also, perennial legumes are characterized with high content of nutritive substances, especially protein and represent the most important protein source in livestock nutrition. Depending on the species and pheno stage of utilization, the content of crude proteins in grasses varies from 100 to 174,6 g kg-1 of DM, and in perennial legumes from 190,0 to 228,8 g kg-1 of DM. Livestock feed obtained from these plant species can be used in several ways, from grazing as most efficient and economical way, to preparation of hay and high quality silages and haylages. Stated forage species are very important in sustainable agriculture and organic production, considering that they carry out the process of biological fixation of nitrogen, but also from the ecological aspect. By using diverse selection/breeding material numerous domestic cultivars of perennial legumes and grasses have been created which are characterized with high potential for main agronomical traits.
Highlights
Main prerequisite for livestock development and increase of economical effects in production of meat and milk, in low land as well as hillymountainous regions, is cheap and high quality livestock fodder
Biomass is characterized with high content of macro and micro elements which can compensate their shortage in other species grown in the mixture (Ignjatović et al, 2001, Marković et al, 2007)
Alfalfa is mainly grown as pure crop, it realizes satisfactory results even when grown in mixture with grasses (Nešić et al, 2007)
Summary
Main prerequisite for livestock development and increase of economical effects in production of meat and milk, in low land as well as hillymountainous regions, is cheap and high quality livestock fodder. If the fact is considered that method of nutrition influences the health condition of domestic animals and duration of their exploitation, it is clear that fodder livestock feed represents the basis of success and development of livestock production. These species can be grown in pure crop or in combination with other species, which increases the economical efficiency of the production and at the same time enables production of food of higher nutritive value and digestibility. Presl&C.Presl.), red fescue (Festuca rubra L.) and smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss)
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