Tree leaves as complete feed for goat bucks
Introduction
A major constraint to increasing livestock productivity in developing countries is the scarcity and fluctuating quantity and quality of the year-round supply of conventional feeds. The availability of feed resources is determined by the land utilization pattern. This reflects the demand of the human population and the nature of the ecosystem, which in turn is a function of land and soil characteristics including terrain, availability of water, rainfall, soil fertility, etc. Due to the ever increasing human population and the consequent increase in demand for food, livestock feed tends to be derived from residues and by-products of the food industry. The major problems with feeding of livestock occur in some areas subjected to long dry seasons, when there is insufficient plant biomass carried over from the wet season to support domestic livestock population. Over the past 50 years a rapidly expanding human population has markedly increased pressure on land, causing arable land to encroach on the best of the land. Fodder tree/shrub legumes have the potential for alleviating some of the feed shortages and nutritional deficiencies experienced in the dry season on smallholder farms.
The livestock of semi-hilly arid zones in India are mostly dependent on the tree leaves and grasses available in forest. But, information about the nutritive value of such feed resources is limited. Some of the forest tree leaves of semi-hilly arid region like Morus alba, Ehretia, Grewea and Leucaena were found to be rich in protein, soluble carbohydrates and minerals and showed great potential as an alternate feed resource (Bakshi and Wadhwa, 2004). This study was, therefore, taken up to assess the nutritive value of promising tree leaves as livestock feed.
Section snippets
Preliminary studies
The leaves of Melia azedarach, Ficus glomerata var. sublanceolata, Toona ciliate, M. alba, Ficus glomerata, Albizzia lebbock, Ficus religoosa, Leucaena leucocephala and that of Azadirachta indica were procured from the trees planted within the university campus. The samples (in triplicate) were dried in a forced air oven at 60 °C for 48 h and ground in a willey mill to pass through 1 mm screen. The finely ground samples were analyzed for CP and total ash (AOAC, 1995), cellulose (Crampton and
Preliminary screening
Preliminary screening of nine different species of tree leaves revealed that organic matter of leaves ranged between 80% (F. glomerata) to 93.2% (A. indica). A. lebbock and T. ciliate had organic matter comparable to A. indica (Table 1). The crude protein content varied between 10.8 and 19.9%. The leaves of L. leucocephala, M. azedarach and M. alba had CP content greater than 19%, which was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of other leaves.
The cell wall analysis based on detergent
Conclusion
On the basis of chemical composition, digestibility of nutrients and efficiency of utilization of nutrients, tree leaves like M. azedarach, M. alba and Leucaena proved to be excellent un-convention feedstuffs for small ruminants, equivalent to any conventional green fodder like A. sativa.
References (10)
- et al.
The relation of cellulose and lignin content to the nutritive value of animal feeds
J. Nutr.
(1938) - et al.
Use of tannin-binding chemicals to assay for tannins and their negative postingestive effects in animals
Anim. Feed Sci. Technol.
(2001) Official Methods of Analysis
(1995)- et al.
Evaluation of forest tree leaves of semi-hilly arid region as livestock feed
Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci.
(2004) - et al.
Protein quality for U.K. dairy cow
Cited by (56)
Does Azadirachita indica leaves, Stylosanthes fruticosa and Dolichus lablab substitute conventional concentrate mixture: Evidence from the sheep feeding trial
2023, Journal of Agriculture and Food ResearchIn vitro and in vivo evaluation of some tree leaves as forage sources in the diet of Baluchi male lambs
2021, Small Ruminant ResearchCitation Excerpt :Relatively high CP, and low ADF and NDF contents of tree leaves in our study, suggests having a potential to be supplemented to small ruminants diet fed on low-value forages during the drought season since they can meet the nutritional requirements of small ruminants with a medium level of production (Subba, 1999). The chemical composition of tree leaves in this study are comparable to those reported by Bakshi and Wadhwa (2007) for tree leaves of Melia azedarach, Ficus glomerata var. sublanceolata, Toona ciliate, Morus alba, Albizzia lebbock, Ficus religoosa, Leucaena leucocephala, and Azadirachta indica.
An investigation of the nutritional value of camelthorn (Alhagi maurorum) at three growth stages and its substitution with part of the forage in Afshari ewes’ diets
2021, Animal Feed Science and TechnologyCitation Excerpt :Consistent with our findings, Karamshahi Amjazi et al. (2017) reported that AM is rich in NDF (490 g/kg DM) and ADF (403 g/kg DM). The analysis of cell wall constituents in the plants based on the detergent solution can be useful in predicting the nutritional value of fiber feeds because feed intake and digestibility coefficients are highly related to NDF and ADF contents (Bakshi and Wadhwa, 2007). The present study showed that AM at the seeding stage was highly fibrous (higher NDF and ADF) and this excess fiber in feeds may reduce DMI.
In vitro regeneration and assessment of genetic fidelity of acclimated plantlets by using ISSR markers in PPR-1 (Morus sp.): An economically important plant
2018, Scientia HorticulturaeCitation Excerpt :Mulberry (Morus spp.) is described as exceptional leaf foliage (Sanchez, 2000, 2002) due to its multiple uses and its availability all over the world. Besides its usage as feeding material for silk worm (Miyashita, 1986; Rahmathulla, 2012; Vineet et al., 2012; Gandhi et al., 2012) and several animals (Prasad et al., 2003; Anbarasu et al., 2004; Martinez et al., 2005; Bakshi and Wadhwa, 2007; Kandylis et al., 2009); it is also used as a protein source for pharmaceutical formulations (Butt et al., 2008), in treatment of diabetes (Ewelina et al., 2016), as a neuroprotective (Niidome et al., 2007), to reduce the triglycerides in body (Andallu et al., 2001), for neutralizing the effects of free radicals (Naowaratwattana et al., 2010); for the skin improvement (Lee et al., 2002; Fang et al., 2005). Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is one of the traditional sericulture states in India which comprises of sub-tropical (Jammu Division), temperate (Kashmir Division) and cold arid (Ladakh Division) climatic conditions (Gani et al., 2016) and traditionally this state is well known for the quality bivoltine type of mori silk production across the country (Maqbool et al., 2015).
PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS OF MEAT PRODUCTION FROM SMALL RUMINANTS: AN OVERVIEW
2023, Indian Journal of Small RuminantsDocumentation and validation of scientific rationality of ITKs relating to fodder management and livestock health
2022, Range Management and Agroforestry