| Region |
Species |
Growth stage |
Crude protein percentage |
Metabolic energy value
(megajoules per kilogram of dry matter) |
| Sahand |
Thymus kotschyanus |
Vegetative |
8.95 ± 0.08 d |
7.81 ± 0.05 c |
| flowering |
8.43 ± 0.09 d |
7.06 ± 0.11 d |
| seeding |
7.85 ± 0.07 d |
6.49 ± 0.11 d |
| Gharebagh |
Thymus kotschyanus |
Vegetative |
14.43 ± 0.16 a |
8.87 ± 0.25 b |
| flowering |
9.77 ± 0.65 c |
7.05 ± 0.33 d |
| seeding |
6.20 ± 0.30 e |
5.70 ± 0.32 e |
| Nazlu area in Urmia |
Thymus kotschyanus |
Vegetative |
- |
- |
| flowering |
10.30 ± 0.15c |
7.69 ± 0.03c |
| seeding |
8.52 ± 0.29d |
7.23 ± 0.02d |
| Firuzkuh |
Thymus fedtschenkoi |
Vegetative |
18.58 ± 0.99 a |
10.10 ± 0.12 a |
| flowering |
13.47 ± 0.59 b |
8.43 ± 0.09 b |
| seeding |
9.86 ± 0.53 c |
7.64 ± 0.25 c |
| Taleghan |
Thymus kotschyanus |
Vegetative |
9.94 ± 1.11c |
8.76 ± 0.08b |
| flowering |
6.00 ± 0.17e |
7.70 ± 0.07c |
| seeding |
5.29 ± 1.01e |
6.89 ± 0.11d |
| Karsang |
Thymus daenensis |
Vegetative |
15.29 ± 0.61 a |
10.02 ± 0.17 a |
| flowering |
8.90 ± 0.64 d |
7.69 ± 0.37 d |
| seeding |
5.24 ± 0.42 e |
5.81 ± 0.30 e |
| Badamestan |
Thymus kotschyanus |
Vegetative |
11.91 ± 0.33 b |
8.51 ± 0.14 b |
| flowering |
9.31 ± 1.01 d |
7.57 ± 0.11 c |
| seeding |
7.38 ± 0.19 d |
6.47 ± 0.11 d |
| Saral |
Thymus kotschyanus |
Vegetative |
15.81 ± 1.35 a |
10.03 ± 0.42 a |
| flowering |
8.74 ± 0.67 d |
7.75 ± 0.42 c |
| seeding |
6.53 ± 0.31e |
6.58 ± 0.47 d |
| Sar Ali Abad |
Thymus transcaspicus |
Vegetative |
12.61 ± 0.60 b |
8.44 ± 0.30 b |
| flowering |
10.44 ± 0.29 c |
7.41 ± 0.30 d |
| seeding |
7.34 ± 0.06 d |
5.39 ± 0.07e |
| Kajur area in Mazandaran |
Thymus kotschyanus |
Vegetative |
11.82 ± 0.05b |
8.43 ± 0.02b |
| flowering |
9.82 ± 0.22c |
7.58 ± 0.01c |
| seeding |
7.88 ± 0.27d |
7.13 ± 0.01d |
a, b, c, and ... indicate a significant difference between the mean values of the quality indices of forage species in different regions |
