Does the cutting time of Tifton 85 grass change the nutritional composition of the hay produced?

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the chemical-bromatological composition of fresh grass and hay from Tifton 85 cut at different times of the day, as well as the potential losses from haymaking. The experimental design was a randomized block, assessing three cutting times: 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 5:00 PM. We determined the contents of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, crude protein, protein insoluble in neutral detergent, acid detergent lignin, and in vitro digestibility of the collected samples. We also estimated values for cellulose, hemicellulose, non-fibrous carbohydrates, total carbohydrates, and total digestible nutrients of both fresh forage and hay. Losses of each nutritional component due to haymaking were calculated from the fresh and dried material after 72 h. Cutting time influenced the nutritional composition of Tifton 85 grass; grass cut at 2:00 pm exhibited a superior nutritional profile with higher in vitro digestibility of dry matter (73.22%), total digestible nutrients (69.15%), non-fiber carbohydrates (20.37%), and lower levels of neutral detergent fiber (67.75%) and cellulose (31.92%). Differences in haymaking losses were observed only for non-fiber carbohydrates at 2:00 pm, with a loss of 60.41%. The cutting time of Tifton 85 alters the quality of fresh forage but does not significantly affect the composition of hays produced from grass cut at various times of the day.