Abstract
In Japan, the use of abandoned cultivated lands for cattle (mainly breeding cattle) grazing has been increasing. However, the feeding value of wild plants at there has been little investigated according to vegetation types, and corresponding information available for native pastures is also insufficient. Hence we determined the feeding value in terms of total digestible nutrients (TDN) and crude protein (CP) of the wild plants in abandoned cultivated lands (20 sites) and native pastures (14 sites) in western Japan. We determined the feeding value of mixed wild plants in different plots, each dominated by 1 of the 6 main species (4 grasses, 1 forb and 1 vine), as well as that of the dominant species. Most of the data indicated that the TDN content of mixed wild plants was more than 50%, which is the optimal value recommended for the maintenance of beef cows. With the exception of Miscanthus sinensis-dominant plots, the CP content of mixed wild plants was more than 8%, which is the value recommended the maintenance of beef cows. The feeding value of the mixed wild plants in grass-dominated plots was greater than that of each dominant species, although contrary results were observed in the case of Pueraria lobata-dominant plots.
