Crop residues is cheapest way of making feed available to ruminant animals during dry season when there is non-availability of pastures. Consequently, a study was conducted to evaluate the nutritive value, anti-nutritional factors and in vitro gas production evaluation of five different legumes stovers (Bambaranut stover (T1), Groundnut stover (T2), Cowpea stover (T3), Soybean stover (T4) and Pigeon pea stover (T5)). The stovers were harvested at the University Teaching and Research Farms of Federal University Wukari between October and November. The harvested legumes stovers were chopped into 3–5cm length and air-dried under shed for two weeks on concrete floor. The chemical composition, phytochemical and in vitro gas production assessment were determined using standard procedure. The dry matter (DM) ranged from 91.83- 93.55%, crude protein (CP) 11.42-22.46%, Ash content (4.00 - 14.14%), crude fibre (CF) 19.30-31.05% while fibre fractions: Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) ranged from 52.50 – 59.80% and acid detergent fibre (ADF) 27.60–33.55%. All the parameters showed significant (P<0.05) differences across the treatments. The anti-nutritional factors such as Phenol (0.68-1.13%), Phytate (0.03- 0.06%), Oxalate (0.013- 0.020%), Saponins (0.09-0.18%), Trypsin (0.31-0.35%) and Tannin (0.56–0.82) varied significantly (P<0.05) except the saponins that was similar across the treatments. The results of in vitro gas production assessment indicate that all the parameter such as methane (CH4ml) 6-18ml, gas volume production (GVml) 9-28ml, metabolisable energy (ME MKJ/DM) 4.76-6.78, short chain fatty acids (SCFA µml) 0.16-0.61µml, organic matter digestibility (OMD %) 35.60 – 51.98%, dry matter degradability (DMD%) 57.65-86.63%, and fermentation efficiency (FE) 2.67-6.21 varied significantly(P<0.05) across the treatments.The results obtained from this study indicate that crude protein content of all the selected legumes stover hay is above 10-12% recommended for ruminant animals and anti-nutrition composition is within tolerance level. Furthermore, in vitro gas production assessment revealed that DMD, ME and SCFA of legumes stover hay is degradable and can supply energy to the ruminants. Thus, ruminant animals can utilise them if well processed and preserved for dry season feeding
Primary Language | English |
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Subjects | Clean Production Technologies |
Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | November 28, 2023 |
Submission Date | September 9, 2023 |
Published in Issue | Year 2023 Volume: 6 Issue: 2 - Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Ethics: Insights from Nigeria |