Abstract
Exploring new wild plant species of economic importance with tolerance to harsh environmental conditions in arid countries may be a viable option to improve forage yield. The present study was conducted during two consecutive years and aimed to investigate the nutritional values of eleven selected wild fodder species, six annuals, and five perennials. Detailed analyses of the nutritional values during two different seasons for perennials and two different growth stages for annuals are presented. The results showed that most studied plants have high nutritional values compared to earlier studies on taxonomically related species growing in different arid areas. The mean content of dry matter, ash, crude protein and lipids was 27, 13, 14, and 3.5%, respectively. Neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose were 44, 26.5, 6.2, 20.2, and 13.7%, respectively. The studied species showed means of 43 and 49% for in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) for perennials and annuals, respectively. In general, there were slight differences between the 2 years for both perennials and annual species and significant differences among different seasons for perennials and between growth stages for annuals. The study strongly recommends further detailed experimental studies on A. graecizans, Boerhavia diffusa and Cymbopogon schoenanthus, which showed more crude protein, a low fiber content and high IVDMD, as unconventional forage crops in arid lands.