Consequences of late haymaking on the nutritive value of forages in floodable meadows in the Saone valley.

摘要

Native pastures liable to flooding in the Saone valley are cut relatively early, and this endangers the reproduction of several species of bird. This is because 60-75% of meadows are at present already cut at the critical date when young birds became able to fly (1 July in medium wet pastures, 15 July in wet pastures). Agricultural and environmental steps are taken to compensate financially for late cutting, made after these dates, and this paper reports the consequences of late haymaking on the feeding value of the forage. The variation in the main characteristics of the feeding value (FU; protein, cellulose, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus contents) was investigated in forage cut in the flood-prone parts of the Saone valley in 1993 and 1995. From May to July, the characteristics varied only very slightly, owing to the diverse nature of the swards in the pastures investigated, where different specific flowering cycles succeeded one another during that period. The main inconvenience of late haymaking was a delay in regrowth and a delay in use for grazing.