Biomass Production, Nutrient and Prussic Acid Content of Sunn Hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) at Different Cutting Time

Background and Objective: Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) is a tropical and subtropical legume primarily used as a green manure, cover crop and forage legume due to its rapid growth and ability to increase soil fertility. The objective of this study was to determine biomass production, nutrient content and prussic acid content of leaves and stems in Sunn hemp as a forage for livestock at the different of cutting time. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using completely randomized design consisted of three cutting time treatments (8, 10 and 12 weeks) with 3 replications. The seeds were planted in 2-3 cm depth of soil with 10×30 cm of spacing row. Plant in every plot were randomly selected and hand separated into leaves and stems. Each component was sampled approximately 1000 g. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and continued with Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (p<0.05). The following parameters observed were biomass production, nutrient content and prussic acid content. Results: The results showed that cutting time had a significant effect (p<0.05) on biomass production, nutrient content and prussic acid content of Sunn hemp leaves and stems. The dry matter and crude fiber content were decreased significantly (p<0.05), while biomass production, ash, crude protein and ether extract were increased as the cutting time increased. Nonetheless, prussic acid content had inconsistent results. Conclusion: It is suggested that Sunn hemp leaf can maintain forage mass and greater quality than its stem to be an alternative to ruminant feed. © 2024 Mayang Salsabillah Dewanti et al.