Sida hermaphrodita as a crop plant could be used as raw material for the production of forage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the overall nutritional value of fresh and ensiled biomass of Sida hermaphrodita, harvested in the bud formation stage. The chemical and amino acid composition, fatty acid profile, concentrations of minerals and polyphenols of herbage and silage were determined. Additionally fermentation products were assessed in silage. Herbage contained crude protein (CP) of 182 g kg-1 dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of 375 g kg-1 DM and lignin content in NDF (L/NDF) was 8.88. Nitrogen fractions changed as a result of ensiling (P < 0.010), non-protein nitrogen (NPN) from 274 g kg-1 total nitrogen (TN) in herbage to 683 g kg-1 TN in silage, and neutral detergent-insoluble nitrogen (NDIN) from 74.6 g kg-1 TN in herbage to 79.5 g kg-1 TN in silage. Silage was characterized by intensive lactic fermentation (114 g kg-1 DM) and pH of 4.30. It contained CP of 176 g kg-1 DM, NDF of 378 g kg-1 DM, and L/NDF (11.3) was higher than in the herbage. The CP of Sida hermaphrodita silage had a high content of essential amino acids (AAs) Lys, Thr, Val, Leu and Phe (3.98, 4.19, 4.55, 7.14 and 4.00 g 100 g-1 CP, respectively). Sida hermaphrodita silage was characterized by the highest K (6.262 g kg-1DM) content among macronutrients, and the highest content of Fe (40.88 mg kg-1 DM) and Mn (33.01 mg kg-1 DM) among micronutrients. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) predominated in the ether extract herbage and silage, and their proportion was three-fold and seven-fold higher than the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), respectively. Herbage had high quercetin content (652 µg g-1 DM), which decreased by 45% during the ensiling. Changes in the chemical composition suggest that this crop plant can be preserved by ensiling. The results of this study indicate that Sida hermaphrodita can be used for producing high-quality silage for ruminants.

26.1.2021