Effect of Harvest Age on the Nutritional Characteristics of Alfalfa Fodder (Medicago sativa L.) for Livestock Feed

Muhammad Syahroji
Engkus Ainul Yakin

Jurnal Biologi Tropis
Vol. 26 No. 4 (2026): in Progress

This study evaluated reported nutritional measurements of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) fodder harvested at 8, 10, 12, and 14 days. The experiment was described as a Completely Randomized Design with four treatments and three replicates. Dry matter was reportedly measured after oven-drying at 105 °C for 24 h, while the procedures described for the parameters labelled organic matter and crude fiber included ashing at 550 °C for 3 h. The available table contains dry-matter values above 100%, and the ashing-only procedure does not establish crude-fiber content. Therefore, the reported measurements and statistical interpretations require verification against the original laboratory records before firm conclusions can be drawn. The present results should be regarded as provisional and should not be used to recommend an optimum harvest age until the calculations, parameter identities, and analyses have been confirmed.