Abstract
A study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the nutritive value of some browse species from Kenya. The species evaluated included: Bauhinia alba, Bauhinia variegata, Bridelia micrantha, Calliandra calothyrsus, Carisa edulis, Cratylia argentea, Gliricidia sepium, Lantana camara, Maerua angolensis, Sesbania micrantha and S. sesban. The browses were evaluated by their chemical composition including phenolics, in vitro gas production and tannin activity (tannin bioassay). All the species had high crude protein content (149-268 g/kg DM) and low NDF content (239-549 g/kg DM). The feeds had varying contents of total extractable tannins (TET) ranging from low (3-22 mg/g DM), moderate (42-58 mg/g DM) and high (77-152 mg/g DM). Calliandra calothyrsus had the highest tannin content. Significant (p<0.05) variation in gas production was recorded among the species. Sesbania micrantha had the highest (p<0.05) potential gas production while Gliricidia sepium had the highest (p<0.05) rate of gas production. Use of polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000), to assess the adverse affect of tannins, indicated that tannins in browse species with high tannin content had inhibitory effects on rumen microbial fermentation as indicated by the gas production. Estimated organic matter digestibility and metabolizable energy also increased with PEG addition. The results of this study indicate that such Kenyan browse species have the potential to be used as feed supplements for ruminant animals. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 1 : 54-60)
Highlights
Ruminant production in tropical regions such as Kenya is constrained by inadequate supply of feeds in terms of quality and quantity
The results of this study indicate that such Kenyan browse species have the potential to be used as feed supplements for ruminant animals
The crude protein (CP) contents varied among the species, ranging from 268 g/kg Dry matter (DM) (Calliandra calothyrsus) to 149 g/kg DM (Bridelia micrantha)
Summary
Ruminant production in tropical regions such as Kenya is constrained by inadequate supply of feeds in terms of quality and quantity. The native pastures and crop residues are the major feed sources available in these areas for the ruminants. With the increase in human population, more land is being dedicated to crop production and unavailable for pasture production. This has resulted in animals increasingly being fed on crop residues. The intake and digestibility of such feeds is low for productive animal production. The cause the low intake and digestibility of such feeds has been suggested to be due to their low content of essential nutrients such as proteins, minerals and vitamins and coupled with high lignifications of their structural carbohydrates (Nair et al, 2002), which slows rumen fermentation. It has been suggested that supplementing these feed resources with nitrogenous feeds such as multipurpose trees and shrubs (MPTS) is one way of alleviating the nitrogen (McSweeny et al, 1999) and mineral deficiencies (Abdulrazak et al, 2000)
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