Nutritional Value Determination of sainfoin Onobrychis viciifolia Scop. native Ecotypes

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) is a perennial legume widely adapted to environmental conditions and has been successfully used as a pasture and hay forage in Iran. Value of sainfoin Onobrychis viciifolia native ecotypes were evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications in linear cultivation in Natural Resources Research Station of Samirom, Isfahan. Quality traits such as digestibility, crude protein, water soluble carbohydrates, total ash and crude fiber were determined. Correlations between traits were assessed using Pearson's rank correlation coefficient. For grouping the ecotypesthe principal component analysis and cluster analysis were used. Analysis of variance showed that there were significant differences among ecotypes for most traits. Ecotype of Arak the average with 70.4% had the highest digestibility. The maximum percent of crude protein was 21% belonged to ecotypes of Garjan, Ahar and Khansar. The highest digestibility was belonged to cluster 1 average with 67.84 percent. Cluster analysis for phenotypic traits and ecotypes were separated into three groups. Principal components analysis showed that the genotypes are divided into five components.

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