Abstract
Food selection by herbivores depends on the dietary composition of plant parts. However, the nutritional properties of tropical bamboo leaves, which could be a viable supplement of traditional fodder are hardly examined. Proximate composition of Bambusa ventricosa McClure, Oxytenanthera abyssinica (A. Rich.) Munro and two varieties of Bambusa vulgaris (B. vulgaris Schrad. ex J. C. Wendl. var. vulgaris Hort. and B. vulgaris Schrad. ex J. C. Wendl. var. vittata Rivière) leaves were determined. B. ventricosa proximately comprised 10.34% moisture, 1.38% crude fat, 11.56% ash, 19.02% crude protein, 27.20% crude fibre and 30.40% carbohydrate. O. abyssinica leaves contained 10.34% moisture, 1.38% crude fat, 12.56% ash, 19.39% crude protein, 26.78% crude fibre and 29.55% carbohydrate. B. vulgaris vulgaris had 10.34% moisture, 1.49% crude fat, 12.53% ash, 18.39% crude protein, 25.88% crude fibre and 31.38% carbohydrate, while B. vulgaris vittata contained 10.71% moisture, 1.58% crude fat, 8.73% ash, 18.75% crude protein, 33.19% crude fibre and 27.04% carbohydrate. Moisture content of bamboos is important, as it determines their susceptibility to microbial infection. The low moisture of the bamboo leaves is an index of the great shelf-life of their meal. These leaves are also a good amino-acid source (especially for O.abyssinica), while their carbohydrate and great fibre contents (as in B. vulgarisvarieties) are a rich roughage supply. They are highly nutritious and could be used as alternative local feed resources suitably as fodder for livestock or wildlife and alongside other feed sources containing proteins and minerals to ensure food security in the tropics. Key words: Bamboo leaves, crude protein, fodder, food energy, proximate analysis, shelf-life.
Highlights
Bamboo (Family: Poaceae) is a grass with a woody culm, which is used often in construction much like conventional wood (Zehui, 2007; Anonymous, 2011a)
The nutritional properties of tropical bamboo leaves, which could be a viable supplement of traditional fodder are hardly examined
Leaves of B. ventricosa, B. vulgaris and O. abyssinica were collected from the bambusatum of the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG) at the Bobiri Forest Reserve near Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region, which occupies about 10.2% of the total land area of Ghana
Summary
Bamboo (Family: Poaceae) is a grass with a woody culm (stem), which is used often in construction much like conventional wood (Zehui, 2007; Anonymous, 2011a). One third of the human race uses bamboo in one way or another In East Asia in particular, ITTO (2009) reported that man cannot survive without bamboo, while the use of this plant is limited in the tropics. Effective utilization for the whole plant would absolutely make it a suitable replacement for the traditional tropical timber species. Four main species of bamboo have been recorded with several varieties in Ghana: Bambusa ventricosa McClure, Oxytenanthera abyssinica Rich.) Munro and two varieties of Bambusa vulgaris
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