Agroeconomic value of fine-leaf vetch, Vicia tenuifolia, under the conditions of the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Fabaceae species play a key role in ecosystem functioning through their capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen and mobilize phosphorus, produce food rich in nitrogenous compounds, improve forage quality and performance in animal production, besides, they have valuable medicinal properties and can be used for multiple purposes in biorefineries. The local ecotype of fine-leaf vetch, Vicia tenuifolia, maintained in monoculture, served as object of study. The 3-year-old Vicia tenuifolia started vegetating in the second half of March; the plants had high growth and development rates. In the middle of May, fine-leaf vetch plants bloomed and the shoots were up to 100 cm long, the fresh mass yield reached 4.18 kg/m2 , with higher proportion of leaves (58 %) in comparison with alfalfa, Medicago sativa. The results of the study on the biochemical composition of the dry matter in the harvested fresh mass and hay prepared from Vicia tenuifolia: 23.50 % and 21.94 % raw protein, 3.65 % and 1.49 % raw fats, 29.08% and 31.78 % raw cellulose, 37.56 % and 36.71 % nitrogen-free extract, 8.10 % and 8.08 % ash. The nutritional and energy value of Vicia tenuifolia forage: 100 kg fresh mass reached 17.93 nutritive units, 3.45 kg digestible protein and 189.51 MJ metabolizable energy, but 100 kg of hay had 75.9 nutritive units, 14.32 kg digestible protein and 827 MJ metabolizable energy, respectively. The gas-producing potential of fermentable organic matter of Vicia tenuifolia reached 503 L/kg or 284 L/kg methane yields in green mass substrate and 422 L/kg or 235 L/kg methane yields in hay substrate, exceeding Medicago sativa substrates.