Prunings in fruit species, source of food reserve for beef cattle breeding

Abstract

Summer pruning of fruit species as an alternative for feeding with vegetable waste in beef cattle breeding is observed. The experiment was conducted in 2020 in an experimental farm for beef cows (Hornless Hereford breed) of the Research Institute of Mountain Stockbreeding and Agriculture, Troyan (Bulgaria). The animals were fed in a controlled manner with standardized amounts of foliar fodder, obtained after summer pruning of fruit crops (plums, apples, pears). The main purpose of the study is to consider the potential and opportunity of using plant matter after summer pruning (green pruning) in various orchards, as a food reserve in beef cattle breeding. The highest appetite was shown by the leaves and twigs obtained during plum pruning (combined group of two cultivars) (46.6%), followed by those of the apple (31.2%) and the lowest value was registered for pear species (22.2%). The total amount of the three types of fodder is accepted as 100%. Compared to the other studied species, the foliar fodder from Prunus domestica had the highest content of crude protein (20.3%), minerals (11.7%), calcium (2.2%), phosphorus (0.6%) and nitrogen (3.2%).