125
Despite the favorable agricultural income generated from the production of leguminous plants, e.g. pea and yellow lupine, in relation to cereals, in practice, this
does not encourage agricultural producers to become more interested in growing
pulses as commodity production. So far, legumes for grain have been grown mainly
for their own needs, and the commodity of their production was only a few percent.
An important limitation of the use of legume seeds in the feed industry is the lack of
the possibility of providing a larger supply of raw material with standard parameters, as their production is fragmented. Purchase from numerous small producers,
for example in Europe, is cost-intensive and increases the price of the raw material
(Sawicka et al. 2000; Florek 2017; Symanowicz et al. 2018). In order to increase the
possibility of using native protein in the production of feed, it is also necessary to
integrate entities operating on the market, both horizontally and vertically.
Establishing closer cooperation between farmers producing legume seeds (creating
producer groups, clusters) would facilitate making joint purchases, organizing consultancy, selling seeds to the processing plant. Cooperation between the producer
and the recipient within the framework of vertical integration would also bring great
benefits. Farmers could produce seeds in accordance with the needs of feed plants,
according to a uniform technology required by the recipient, while ensuring their
sales. Processing plants they would receive large batches of a single raw material
with the required quality standard. On the basis of the analysis, it can also be stated
that the current financial support from the state encouraging the production of leguminous plants only fulfills the function of stabilizing the income of producers, without translating into the commodity of seeds. Positive changes should be seen in
linking subsidies to leguminous plants with the size of the production, and not the
area of cultivation (Reckling et al. 2016; Florek 2017; Szymańska et al. 2017).
7.3.10 Productivity of Perennial Butterfly Plants
The productivity of perennial legumes is one of the important features determining
their utility value. This term, understood as the intensity of the production of dry
matter from the surface unit during the growing season, in the case of fodder
legumes refers to their yield. The genetic determinants, natural and agrotechnical
factors and methods of use have a significant impact on the productivity of plants in
this utility group. Genetic factors influence the diversity of yields between species,
forms and cultivars, and the habitat elements that most modify the productivity of
the species are mainly soils and weather conditions, whereas from cultivation operations they are primarily: the quantity, the method and date of sowing, fertilization,
care and frequency of mowing. Among the many species, the greatest economic
importance on arable lands is red – meadow clover (Trifolium pratese L.), crosslinked lucerne (Medicago media Pers.) and sowing (Medicago sativa L.) and locally
sainfoin (Onobrichis viciaefolia Scop.). The area of cultivation of these species
amounts to million ha and covers about 95% of the area of cultivation of all legume
plant species (FAO 2016). It is estimated that alfalfa and esparceta constitute 1/3,
7 Alternative and New Protein Sources
Despite the favorable agricultural income generated from the production of leguminous plants, e.g. pea and yellow lupine, in relation to cereals, in practice, this
does not encourage agricultural producers to become more interested in growing
pulses as commodity production. So far, legumes for grain have been grown mainly
for their own needs, and the commodity of their production was only a few percent.
An important limitation of the use of legume seeds in the feed industry is the lack of
the possibility of providing a larger supply of raw material with standard parameters, as their production is fragmented. Purchase from numerous small producers,
for example in Europe, is cost-intensive and increases the price of the raw material
(Sawicka et al. 2000; Florek 2017; Symanowicz et al. 2018). In order to increase the
possibility of using native protein in the production of feed, it is also necessary to
integrate entities operating on the market, both horizontally and vertically.
Establishing closer cooperation between farmers producing legume seeds (creating
producer groups, clusters) would facilitate making joint purchases, organizing consultancy, selling seeds to the processing plant. Cooperation between the producer
and the recipient within the framework of vertical integration would also bring great
benefits. Farmers could produce seeds in accordance with the needs of feed plants,
according to a uniform technology required by the recipient, while ensuring their
sales. Processing plants they would receive large batches of a single raw material
with the required quality standard. On the basis of the analysis, it can also be stated
that the current financial support from the state encouraging the production of leguminous plants only fulfills the function of stabilizing the income of producers, without translating into the commodity of seeds. Positive changes should be seen in
linking subsidies to leguminous plants with the size of the production, and not the
area of cultivation (Reckling et al. 2016; Florek 2017; Szymańska et al. 2017).
7.3.10 Productivity of Perennial Butterfly Plants
The productivity of perennial legumes is one of the important features determining
their utility value. This term, understood as the intensity of the production of dry
matter from the surface unit during the growing season, in the case of fodder
legumes refers to their yield. The genetic determinants, natural and agrotechnical
factors and methods of use have a significant impact on the productivity of plants in
this utility group. Genetic factors influence the diversity of yields between species,
forms and cultivars, and the habitat elements that most modify the productivity of
the species are mainly soils and weather conditions, whereas from cultivation operations they are primarily: the quantity, the method and date of sowing, fertilization,
care and frequency of mowing. Among the many species, the greatest economic
importance on arable lands is red – meadow clover (Trifolium pratese L.), crosslinked lucerne (Medicago media Pers.) and sowing (Medicago sativa L.) and locally
sainfoin (Onobrichis viciaefolia Scop.). The area of cultivation of these species
amounts to million ha and covers about 95% of the area of cultivation of all legume
plant species (FAO 2016). It is estimated that alfalfa and esparceta constitute 1/3,
7 Alternative and New Protein Sources