In vitro fermentation of shed leaves of selected trees as forage for ruminants

Abstract

Shed leaves from deciduous plants are wastes which sometimes constitute
environmental pollution if not properly disposed of. The chemical composition, in
vitro gas production parameters and characteristics of shed leaves from browse
plants; Tamarindus indica (Ti), Terminalia catappa (Tc), Bambusa vulgaris (Bv),
Anacardium occidentale (Ao) and Cola nitida (Cn) were investigated. Shed leaves
of each plant were picked, cleaned and pulverized. Chemical composition and in
vitro gas production analyses were carried out. Results revealed that chemical
composition of shed leaves differed significantly (p<0.05). Dry matter ranged from
91.82 to 93.10%. Crude protein content was highest in Bv (10.90%) and lowest in
Tc (4.89%), ash content was highest in Tc (16.13%) and lowest in Bv (15.83%).
Neutral detergent fibre was highest in Tc (61.53%) and lowest in Ti (52.92%).
Calcium content ranged from 0.229 to 0.297 g/100g DM across the treatments. In
vitro gas production, metabolizable energy, organic matter digestibility, short-chain
fatty acids and methane gas of shed leaves 24 hours post-incubation ranged from
6.67 to 10.67 mL/200mg DM, 3.46 to 4.34 MJ/kg DM, 24.06 to 30.30%, 0.02 to
0.19 mmol and 2.5 to 4.5 mL/200mg DM, respectively. Bv leaves recorded the
highest values (10.00 and 10.67 mL/200mg DM) for the insoluble degradable
fraction (b) and potential degradability (a+b) respectively. The lowest (6.33 and
6.67 mL/200mg DM) values for ‘b’ and ‘a+b’ fractions were obtained in Tc leaves
respectively, while the rate of degradation ‘c’ was not significantly different across
all leaves. Conclusively, shed leaves can be used as dry season forage for ruminants.