Perennial fodder plants - potential feed sources in nutrition of rabbits.

Temporary pastures throughout their multifunctionality play an important role in rabbit farming due to the both quantity and quality of provided fodder. Temporary or sown pastures, as they are named, can comprise one species (pure crop) or more perennial fodder plants (mixtures of grasses and legumes). Among the pure crops, the most frequently used in rabbit feed in Romania is alfalfa. The alternative of use of mixtures beside pure crops in fodder production for rabbits is interesting to be considered both from nutritional point of view and as agronomical advantages in comparison with pure crops. This paper presents comparative information regarding the production, quality and chemical composition of some species/mixtures of perennial fodder crops. Complex mixtures composed from 6, respectively 7 species (M7 and M8), revealed higher yields but lower values for cell walls content as compared with alfalfa. The same mixtures moderately fertilized (N60P70) can supply phosphorus and potassium needs in herbivorous nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]