Lucerne stems as a fibre-rich component in the feeding
of lactating Simmental cows

As a regional forage plant, lucerne ( Medicago sativa L.) has the potential to be very productive and make an important contribution to the supply of energy, protein and structural fibre in ruminant nutrition. To be able to differentiate between these quality characteristics of lucerne, plant tips were harvested separately to obtain a protein-rich feedstuff. The fibre-rich residual plant parts (stems with leaves, referred to here as lucerne stems) were harvested, hot air-dried and evaluated in a feeding trial with lactating Simmental cows. In this study, the influence of different structural components, which were offered in a partial mixed ration (PMR), on dry matter intake (DMI), milk yield and milk composition as well as selected...