FORAGE QUALITY OF NATIVE PASTURES IN A MEDITERRANEAN AREA

Three field sites in the Hyblean region of Sicily were studied for the ir forage quality and botanical composition. A total of 70 plant speci es were analyzed. Another 36 were rare and of insufficient quantity fo r analysis. Forty-three bulk samples combining all existing species we re also prepared and analyzed. The chemical analyses included were dry matter, ash, neutral-detergent fiber (NDF), acid-detergent fiber (ADF ), lignin, total nitrogen, nonprotein nitrogen (NPN), soluble nitrogen and degradable protein. Quality varied over the growing season declin ing with forage maturity. The nutritional quality was high overall. No ngrass nonlegume species dominated, The most abundant species of high quality was a Compositae, Calendula arvensis, which represented approx imately 22.8% of the available forage. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.