Abstract
The results of assessing the quality of hay of alfalfa varieties and variety samples of Kazakhstani and foreign selection on carotene content and dependence of carotene content on dry matter and biochemical parameters such as protein, digestible protein, sugar, starch, fiber, fat, ash content, calcium, phosphorus, and also exchange energy are presented in the article. The research is related to the subject of the international project "GS19001 - Use of wild related agricultural crops for developing drought-resistant alfalfa and its distribution among subsistence farmers in Kazakhstan, China and Chile". The research was carried out in 2021 on the experimental fields of "Kokshetau Experimental Production Farm" LLP (Shagalaly rural area), located in the northern part of the hilly and plain zone of the Akmola region in Zerenda district of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Varieties and variety samples of alfalfa were planted on pure fallow. 35 varieties and variety samples of alfalfa obtained by Kazakhakstani and foreign scientists were studied in the ecological nursery. The seeds were sown in the second decade of May. The method of sowing for fodder (herbage, hay) is the row one with the row spacing of 15 cm. The plants were harvested for herbage at the beginning of the flowering phase. The content of carotene in varieties and variety samples of alfalfa ranged from 18.03 to 20.21 mg/kg. The correlations between carotene and the studied parameters are weak positive and negative, medium positive.