Which forage grasses are suitable for making hay? Recommended common varieties

In theory, almost all cultivated forage grasses and wild forage grasses can be used to make hay. But in actual practice, forage varieties with relatively thin stems and moderate leaf surfaces are generally chosen, namely the two major categories commonly known as legumes and grasses, because stems that are too thick, leaf surfaces that are too large, and too great a disparity between stems and leaves will all affect hay quality.

(1) Grass family forage grasses

① Leymus chinensis, also known as alkali grass, is mainly distributed in Northeast China, Northwest China, North China and Inner Mongolia, and is also found in Russia, Korea, Mongolia and other countries. Leymus chinensis is the dominant species and community-building species on grasslands such as Songnen, Horqin, Xilin Gol and Hulunbuir. Artificial cultivation began after the 1950s, and large areas of artificial Leymus chinensis grassland were rapidly established in many places. Leymus chinensis is not only suitable for grazing various kinds of livestock, but is also one of the grass family forage varieties most suitable for making hay. Hay crude protein content is 7%-13%, crude fat 2.3%-2.5%, with many leaves that are wide and long, and good palatability.

② Siberian wildrye, also known as drooping wildrye grass and Siberian alkali grass, is a perennial grass family forage grass and a wild forage grass widely distributed in the northern temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. In China it is mainly distributed in the Northeast, Northwest and Inner Mongolia, and is also distributed in southeastern Russia, Siberia, the Far East, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Japan. It was used to establish artificial grassland in the early 1960s. Siberian wildrye has strong cold resistance and tolerates moisture but has relatively poor drought resistance. It adapts to a fairly wide range of soils, growing well not only in fertile soil but also in weakly acidic to weakly alkaline soil and low-lying saline-alkali land. Siberian wildrye is rich in leaves and is suitable for grazing when young and tender. Harvested from the heading stage to the early flowering stage and made into hay, it has relatively good quality, with crude protein content of 11%-13% and crude fat 2%-4%.

③ Elymus dahuricus, also known as wild wheatgrass and upright wildrye, is an excellent forage grass widely distributed in the grassland regions of the temperate and frigid zones. In China it is mainly distributed in the "Three North" regions (Northeast, North China and Northwest). Elymus dahuricus is popular for its cold resistance, drought resistance, wind-sand resistance and saline-alkali resistance. The suitable harvesting period for making hay is from the heading stage to before flowering, with crude protein content of 7%-12% and crude fat 2%-3%. If harvested too late, the grass becomes coarse and hard and the nutrient content declines.

④ Tall fescue, also known as reed fescue, is a perennial herb of the fescue genus in the grass family, originating in Europe and Asia, and mainly distributed in the temperate and frigid zones of Europe, western Siberia and northern Africa. In recent years it has shown good adaptability and relatively high yields in Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shandong and other provinces. Tall fescue is caespitose, with fibrous roots and short underground stems, and upright, hard stems. It is drought-resistant, moisture-resistant and heat-resistant, able to grow both under relatively cold conditions and to safely overwinter the summer in subtropical hilly areas, but its cold resistance is relatively poor. Planted on fertile, moist soil, it has high yields, strong regrowth and tolerance to cutting. It can be widely planted in warm temperate zones, subtropical hilly areas and mildly saline-alkali land, and can also form mixed grassland with white clover. Tall fescue is cut at the heading stage for hay, with hay crude protein content of 13%-15% and crude fat 3%-4%; if harvested too late, the grass becomes coarse and has poor palatability.

⑤ Ryegrass originated in southwestern Europe, northern Africa and southwestern Asia, and is now an excellent forage grass widely cultivated in China's subtropical high-altitude areas with relatively high rainfall. To date, about 60 or more varieties with different characteristics have been bred. Ryegrass is an upper-growing, densely tufted type with strong tillering ability, reaching dozens to over a hundred tillers. Ryegrass prefers a warm, cool and moist climate, fears intense heat, and is not tolerant of drought or cold. Ryegrass is an important forage grass that stays green in spring, autumn and winter in the Yangtze River basin and the provinces of southern China. Its grass quality is soft, with relatively many leaves, and it is highly favored by all herbivorous livestock, poultry and fish. Cut at the peak of the early heading stage and made into hay, the hay's crude protein content is 9%-13% and crude fat 2%-3%. Because the leaves are numerous and soft, it is a high-quality hay for livestock. When harvested young and tender, the crude protein content can reach 20%, and it can be used to feed pigs, especially sows.

(2) Legume forage grasses

① Alfalfa is currently the most widely distributed legume forage grass in the world. It originated in the highlands of Asia Minor, the South Caucasus, Iran, Turkmenistan and other countries. China began cultivating it as early as two thousand years ago, mainly in the "Three North" regions. Alfalfa is called the "king of forage grasses" not only because of its excellent grass quality and rich nutrition, but also because of its broad adaptability. Alfalfa stems and leaves are soft and suitable for making hay. The suitable harvesting period is the early flowering stage, with crude protein content of 18%-20% and crude fat 3.1%-3.6%. If harvested too late, the nutrient content declines and the grass becomes coarse and hard.

② Astragalus adsurgens, also known as upright milkvetch, is a perennial herb of the milkvetch genus in the legume family. In Henan, Hebei, Shandong and other provinces of China, it has been cultivated as forage and green manure for several hundred years. Since the 1960s, it has been planted on a large scale by aerial seeding in the Northeast, North China and Inner Mongolia and other provinces (regions), developing very rapidly. Astragalus adsurgens is used not only as feed, but is also a good plant for windbreaks and sand fixation, soil and water conservation, and as fuel and fertilizer. Astragalus adsurgens is harvested at the early flowering stage, which is most suitable for making hay, with crude protein content of 12%-17% and crude fat 2%-3%. Astragalus adsurgens stems are relatively coarse and hard, and the utilization rate is relatively low when fed as the whole plant; after crushing and mixing with other feed, the utilization rate can be improved and the nutrient balance improved.

③ Sainfoin, also known as donkey vetch and donkey's delight, is a perennial forage grass of the sainfoin genus in the legume family. Its feeding value is similar to that of alfalfa, and it is known as the "queen of forage grasses". It was already cultivated in Armenia more than a thousand years ago, and was later introduced to France, Russia and the United Kingdom. It is now distributed in Europe, Africa and western and southern Asia. At present it is planted on a large scale in Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet and other provinces (regions) of China, becoming an important legume forage grass with great development prospects in China's arid regions. Sainfoin at the flowering stage is suitable for making hay, because at this time the stems and leaves have relatively low moisture content and are easy to dry, but care must also be taken to prevent leaf loss. The hay of sainfoin at the flowering stage has a crude protein content of 15%-16%, crude fat 2%-5%, and a dry matter digestibility of about 70%.

④ Crownvetch is a herbaceous plant of the crownvetch genus in the legume family, native to southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean region. China introduced it in 1967, and it has been planted in Beijing, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Nanjing and other places, growing well. Fresh crownvetch contains a low-toxicity substance, 3-nitropropionic acid glycoside, which is safe for pigs and sheep, but feeding it to young rabbits causes poisoning symptoms, so it cannot be fed alone. For making hay, it is best to harvest from the bud stage to the early flowering stage; hay is very safe to feed to all kinds of livestock. At the full flowering stage, the crude protein content is 19%-22%, crude fat 1.8%-2.9%, and the crude fiber content is relatively low, only 21%-32%.