DOI: 10.11118/nutrinet2026_020

GRASS STRAW AS FEED

Dominik Vlk¹, Stanislav Hejduk¹

¹ Department of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production, Faculty of agriscience,Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1665/1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic

Grass straw is produced as a byproduct when growing grasses for seed. Its yields vary and, depending on the grass species, the intensity of inputs into the stand, and weather conditions, range from 2.0 to 12.1 t·ha⁻¹. Grass straw has a wide range of uses, including as a source of thermal energy, a raw material for compost production, a substrate for growing edible mushrooms, shredded and spread over the field, and, finally, as an animal feed. When straw is utilized appropriately, it increases the revenue and profitability of grass seed growers. In terms of nutrient composition, it is a higher-quality feed than cereal straw. Compared to meadow hay, it has a higher fiber content (usually more than 650 g·kg⁻¹ NDF) and a lower crude protein content (26–92 g·kg⁻¹ DM).

Klíčová slova: mineral contents, feed value, perennial ryegrass, italian ryegrass, dry mater content

stránky: 188-193, online: 2026