<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Climatic conditions for soybean cultivation in Latvia are challenging because of their variability. In addition, the sum of sunlight hours and the ratio of temperature and precipitation required to produce a quality crop are unpredictable. There is a risk that even early soybean varieties will not ripen due to weather conditions in a region. Studies show that soybean plants, including the green part of the crop, are well suited for animal nutrition prepared as hay or silage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of different soybean varieties harvested before ripening and assess them as hay or silage raw material. Weight, protein, fat, ash, fibre, acid detergent fibre (ADF) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) of soybean varieties ‘Erica’, ‘Bolgar’ and ‘Viola’ green mass were determined at different stages of maturity. The results of the study showed a significant increase in protein (from 9.18% to 12.06%) and fat (from 1.18% to 4.40%) content of the dry matter variety ‘Bolgar’ from September to October. The protein content of the dry soya green mass was not affected by variety at the same developing stage but significantly changed among different stages of maturity. As the plant develops, the sucrose content in the green mass increases, the same as the total sugar content.</p>
</abstract>

Climatic conditions for soybean cultivation in Latvia are challenging because of their variability. In addition, the sum of sunlight hours and the ratio of temperature and precipitation required to produce a quality crop are unpredictable. There is a risk that even early soybean varieties will not ripen due to weather conditions in a region. Studies show that soybean plants, including the green part of the crop, are well suited for animal nutrition prepared as hay or silage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of different soybean varieties harvested before ripening and assess them as hay or silage raw material. Weight, protein, fat, ash, fibre, acid detergent fibre (ADF) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) of soybean varieties ‘Erica’, ‘Bolgar’ and ‘Viola’ green mass were determined at different stages of maturity. The results of the study showed a significant increase in protein (from 9.18% to 12.06%) and fat (from 1.18% to 4.40%) content of the dry matter variety ‘Bolgar’ from September to October. The protein content of the dry soya green mass was not affected by variety at the same developing stage but significantly changed among different stages of maturity. As the plant develops, the sucrose content in the green mass increases, the same as the total sugar content.

Chemical Composition of Soybean Harvested in Different Stages of Maturity and Its Suitability for Forage Production

Crop Research Department of the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics

Rural Sustainability Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Climatic conditions for soybean cultivation in Latvia are challenging because of their variability. In addition, the sum of sunlight hours and the ratio of...

Chemical Composition of Soybean Harvested in Different Stages of Maturity and Its Suitability for Forage Production

Published Online: Jan 22, 2024

Page range: 67 - 72

Received: Sep 05, 2023

Accepted: Dec 11, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/plua-2023-0016

Keywords
protein crop, feed, green mass

© 2023 Vita Sterna et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Chemical Composition of Soybean Harvested in Different Stages of Maturity and Its Suitability for Forage Production

Published Online: Jan 22, 2024

Page range: 67 - 72

Received: Sep 05, 2023

Accepted: Dec 11, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/plua-2023-0016

Keywordsprotein crop, feed, green mass

© 2023 Vita Sterna et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
protein crop, feed, green mass