Nutritive Value of Cultivated Alfalfa in the Ecuadorian Interandin Region for Ruminant Feeding

In the Animal Nutrition and Bromatology laboratory of the Faculty of Animal Sciences-ESPOCH, the nutritional value 50 alfalfa samples cultivated in different cantons of the province of Chimborazo at different heights (2600, 2700, 2800, and 2900) was carried out. msnm); in different phenological stages (30, 35, 40, 42, 49, 50, 56, 59, 63 and 70 days), in order to determine their nutritional value. The proximal analysis of cell walls, digestibility and energy value was carried out, the data were processed descriptive statistics determining that the alfalfa cut at 40 days registered initial humidity (HI) 92.25%, ashes (C) 12.27%, organic matter (MO) 87.73%, crude protein (PC) 22.94%, crude fiber (FC) 29.68%, ether extract (EE) 1.92%, nitrogen-free extract 33.19% (ELN) ), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) 37.36%, acid detergent lignin (LDA) 6.91%. Concluding that depending on the content of protein and dry matter, alfalfa grown in the inter-Andean region has a high nutritional value