Responses of cereals grain quality on organical and conventional farming
Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Studentų 11, Akademija LT– 53361, Kaunas distr.,e-mail: ligita.balezentiene@lzuu.lt;
Abstract:
Commodity-based conventional farming induced applying heavy amounts of mineral and organic fertilizers and stimulated the decline of the animated part of the soil. Integrated, extensive and ecologically sustainable organic agriculture systems started to spread inherently as an alternative to such aggressive conventional farming. The main aim of this research was to evaluate and compare chemical composition of forage cereals (barley, wheat, rye, oat and triticale) cropped in different farming systems. Dry matter (DM), crude ash (CA), crude fat (CF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), content of mineral, trace elements and heavy metals were determined for estimation of the feed value of tested cereals grain. The highest content of important essential amino acid methionine+cystine (5.0 g kg -1 DM) and lysine (4.7 g kg -1 DM) was determined in chemical composition of oat. The equal content of tryptophane (1.2) was determined in wheat, oat and barley. The smallest content (0.95 g kg -1 DM) of this amino acid was found in rye. Mineral and trace element concentrations in DM ranged as follows: Ca– 0.3–0.9, P – 3.3–3.7, Mg – 1.1–1.2 and Na – 0.16–0.35 g kg -1. Organically cropped grain contained less crude protein (CP) and fat, but crude fiber content increased as compared to those conventionally cropped. CP varied from 8.2 (triticale) to11.5% (oat) in organically cropped grains. CP content was markedly higher in intensively cropped grain and ranged between 11.9–14.5%.
Key words:
cereals, chemical composition, organic and intensive/conventional farming