EVALUATION OF EIGHT SELECTED ETHIOPIAN INDIGENOUS FORAGE SPECIES FOR THEIR NUTRITIVE VALUES

Abstract

Indigenous forage species contribute to the largest proportion of the livestock feed in Ethiopia. However, their potential as livestock feed has often been overlooked. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the nutritive value of eight selected Ethiopian indigenous forage species for their nutritive value. The experiment was undertaken using a complete randomized design at Wondogent medicinal field gene bank. Results showed that Pennisetum pedicellatum (91.72%) and Medicago polymorpha (91.68%) had significantly (P<0.001) higher dry matter (DM) contents than other forage species with the exception of Medicago sativa. Ash content (15.46%) of Pennisetum pedicellatum was the highest (P<0.001) of all the species except Medicago sativa, while the highest organic matter (OM) content (90.80%) was record from Medicago polymorpha. Vicia species had (P<0.05) higher crude protein (CP) concentration (19.03%) than that of Medicago sativa (13.57%), Medicago lupulina (12.36%), Medicago polymorpha (11.57%) and Pennisetum pedicellatum (7.47%). The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was higher (P<0.05) in Pennisetum pedicellatum (76.23%), whereas Sesbania sesban had the lowest (P<0.05) NDF value except Sebania grandiflora. Acid detergent fiber (ADF) was significantly higher in Medicago lupulina (53.80%) while Sesbania sesban had lower contents of both ADF (39.42%) and ADF (34.04%). However, there was no significant variation in terms of acid detergent lignin (ADL), metabolizable energy (ME) and In vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM) among these forge species. Generally, with the exception of Pennisetum pedicellatum, the moderate CP, and lower fiber content of these forage species suggest that they have high nutritional value that deserves special attention.