Determination of grass quality characteristics in some onbrychis species growing in meadow-pasture and natural vegetations of southeast anatolia region

This study was conducted to assess the natural pasture layers of the Southeastern Anatolia Region and to determine the quality characteristics of some Onobrychis species. In the study, 9 Onobrychis species from natural pasture areas in the provinces of Diyarbakır, Adıyaman, Gaziantep, Kilis, Siirt, Şanlıurfa and Şırnak were examined. Samples taken from each species were dried in a drying cabinet at 70°C for 48 hours, ground, and then analyzed using a Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) device with three replications, allowing for the determination of certain quality characteristics. According to the analysis and calculations, crude protein (CP) in Onobrychis species is 14.99-21.42%, dry matter ratio (DM) is 88.70-92.46%, acid detergent insoluble fiber ratio (ADF) is 15.60-27.44%, neutral detergent insoluble fiber ratio (NDF) is 32.35-45.30%, acid detergent insoluble protein ratio (ADP) 0.70-1.10%, digestible dry matter ratio (DDM) 67.53-76.75%, dry matter intake (DMI) 2.65-3.71%, relative feed value (RFV) 141.12-210.83, relative feed quality (RFQ) 143.26-221.17, total digestible nutrients (TDN) 74.98-84.20%, with digestible energy (DE) 3.16-3.55, metabolic energy (ME) 2.59-2.92, potassium (K) 0.40-2.53%, calcium (Ca) 1.45-2.51%, magnesium (Mg) 0.26-0.32%, phosphorus (P) 0.15-0.42% calcium/phosphorus (Ca/P) was found to be 3.75-16.67 and K/(Ca+Mg) was 0.14-1.38. Among the examined traits, Onobrychis carduchorum number 4 in terms of HP, Onobrychis megataphros number 3 in terms of DM, DMI, RFV, RFQ, K,P and K/(Ca+Mg), Onobrychis kotschyana number 7 in terms of ADF, Onobrychis aequidentata number 5 in terms of NDF, Onobrychis aequidentata number 5 in terms of Mg. Onobrychis crista-galli number 6, Onobrychis crista-galli number 6 in terms of ADP, and Onobrychis galegifolia species number 2 in terms of DDM, TDN, SE, ME and Ca/P gave statistically the highest value. In this study, Onobrychis megataphros, Onobrychis carduchorum, and Onobrychis transcaucasica stood out in terms of both crude protein content and other quality parameters, and it would be beneficial to consider these prominent traits of the species in future research.