Summary
Palatability of Bolivian tree fodder
leaves to cattle as assessed by
farmers was compared with
digestibility using the in vitro gas
production technique.
Supplementing the low-nutritive
value dry-season forage with
indigenous fodder trees shows
considerable promise.
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| Primary Relevance |
Low - High |
| Feeding and Nutrition |
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| Animal Health |
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| Commodities and Markets |
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| Other Husbandry |
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| Policy Relevance |
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Documents
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| The poor relationship between
palatability and in vitro digestibility
indicated that the farmers’ knowledge
of which trees the animals eat is not by
itself a good indicator of nutritional
value. Both palatability and digestibility
must be investigated further to assess
the nutritive value of fodder trees
before the contribution of indigenous
fodder trees to the diet can be
increased. The variable tannin loss
during sample preparation reinforces
the need to test assessment methods
on fresh material and to compare the
results with those obtained from dry
material. |
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Gas production curves for these Bolivian tree leaves show that Leucaena leaves –
ranked highly palatable by the farmers – have a significantly higher degradability
than Flemingia leaves – ranked as moderately palatable.
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Related Projects
| R5196 |
On-farm studies to develop recommendations for the importance of livestock feeding systems in the tsetse endemic regions of West Africa |
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