WASTE FROM THE SUMMER PRUNING OF BERRY BUSHES SUITABLE FOR FEEDING BEEF CATTLE.

The aim of the study was to use the harvested plant mass after summer pruning (green pruning) in various berry plantations, as a potential food source in beef cows. The experiment was conducted on female crossings F1 Hereford × Aberdeen Angus cows. The animals were fed in a controlled manner, with standardized amounts of fodder from regrowth and leaves, obtained after the summer pruning of berry crops (raspberries, blackberries, blackcurrants) with quantities up to 2.5 kg from the ration. The highest appetite was shown to the leaves and twigs obtained during the pruning of Rubus idaeus (combined group of two cultivars) with 49.7%, followed by those of Ribes nigrum - 31.2%, whereas the lowest was observed in feeding with those of Rubus fruticosus with 19.1%. The total amount of the three types of fodder is accepted as 100%. Compared to the other studied species, the foliar fodder of Rubus idaeus has the highest content of crude protein (10.20%), crude fiber (9.83%) and minerals (9.23%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]