Evaluation of Forage Quality Attributes for Lotus spp. Grown in the Salado River Basin

M.L. LOCATELLI, J.L. REMIS Y A.A. IGLESIAS

Lotus Newsletter

Año: 1997 vol. 28 p. 16 - 21

0316-0106

Beef and dairy cattle production in the Salado River Basin is essentially a grazing system mainly based on natural grasslands, with a minor portion of cultivatedpastures. Edaphic characteristics: limed and poorly drained soils with severe phosphorus deficiency, medium organic matter levels, high alkalinity and salinity;together with periodic exposition of soils to waterlogged conditions, significantly decrease persistence and yield of common legume species (red clover, alfalfa,white clover) in this region (Mazzanti et al., 1986). A strategy to be developed to solve these problems is the introduction of foreign legume species. In this way,Lotus spp. is an important alternative, after their growing conditions and significant nutritional value. Currently, the genus Lotus has been introduced in the SaladoRiver Basin which counts with L. corniculatus and L. glaber(already naturalized) species. However, at the present time, information about nutritional quality (and its variability throughout the year) of commercial species inthe area is scarce, and an exhaustive analysis on the productive performance of Lotus in the region is far from complete.