RESEARCH ON CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF ALFALFA HAY OBTAINED IN DIFFERENT PRODUCTION SYSTEMS (CONVENTIONAL AND ORGANIC)

Nadia Mirela Aioanei, I.M. Pop

Abstract
The aim of this paper was a comparative analysis of the chemical composition determined for 10 samples of alfalfa hay, derived from two farms in the North-East part of Romania, with different production systems (conventional and organic). The research focused on determining the gross chemical composition (content of dry matter, crude ash, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, ADF, NDF and SEN) using Weende scheme and mineral content (Ca and P) by spectrophotometric method. In order to determine the chemical composition, the guidelines were standards like: ISO 6496:2001, ISO 6498:2001, EN ISO 6869:2001, ISO 6492:2001, EN ISO 6865:2002. Statistical analysis, revealed significant differences between the mean values calculated for alfalfa hay samples derived from conventional system compared with the ecological one for crude ash content (8.69±0.25% Ash vs. 6.75±0.28% Ash) and calcium (1.500±0.037% Ca vs. 1.224±0.040% Ca); distinctly significant for crude fiber content (32.28±1.03% CF vs. 27.67±0.67% CF) and nitrogen free extract substances (40.88±1.54% NFE vs. 34.40±1.16% NFE); significant for crude protein content (16.40±0.18% CP vs. 15.19 ± 0.45% CP) and acid detergent fiber (32.49 ± 0.76% ADF vs. 29.66 ± 0.82% ADF). For dry matter, organic matter, crude fat, NDF and phosphorus content, the differences were insignificant.

Key words: organic feed, alfalfa hay, chemical composition, calcium