Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of season on the chemical composition of <em>Aspilia Africana</em> leaf over a 12-month period. Biomass yield, proximate and mineral compositions were analyzed. Data collected were subjected to ANOVA in a completely randomized design using SAS software package. Post hoc analysis was conducted at 5% significance using the Duncan multiple range test. Five seasons (late dry, early rainy, peak rainy, late rainy and early dry) and three stages of plant maturity (growing, blooming and aging) were identified. Results showed no effect (p>0.05) of season on the proximate composition (except for moisture and crude ash) and fibre fractions of <em>Aspilia Africana</em> leaf but mineral concentrations were influenced (p<0.05) by season. Crude protein and ash contents were higher during the rainy season but declined with the inception of the dry season while, crude fibre and its fractions were higher during the dry season. Calcium, zinc and phosphorus concentrations were highest during the peak rainy season then decline gradually as dry season progressed. Correlation result showed that an increased biomass yield led to increased (p<0.05) crude protein content with decreased crude fat, moisture and ash contents. Though biomass yield was higher between the late rainy and early dry seasons, results showed that there was no temporal variations in the nutrient composition of <em>Aspilia Africana</em> leaf during the 12-month study. Therefore, <em>Aspilia Africana</em> plant could be a valuable feed resource for all year fodder production.
Highlights
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2010a; FAO et al, 2015), the increasing demand for animal products in developing countries, is largely driven by urbanization, increasing population and income growth
Proximate and phytochemical compositions: General observations: In the humid tropical environment, Aspilia africana plant grows throughout the year
Three stages of maturity were observed in Aspilia africana plant; the growing (April-August), blooming
Summary
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2010a; FAO et al, 2015), the increasing demand for animal products in developing countries, is largely driven by urbanization, increasing population and income growth. The desire to significantly enhance overall livestock output is constrained by the trade-off between competing demands for traditional livestock feed resources. To surmount this constraint, relatively new inventories of forage legumes are being compiled based on scientific assessment of their potentials as livestock feed (Norton and Poppi, 1995; FAO, 2010b; Coughenour and Makkar, 2012). Abusuwar and Ahmed (2010) noted that the year-round evergreen foliage, vegetative cover and abundant nutrients in browse plants encourage their utilization for sustainable fodder production Their biomass yields influences the number of animals that can be reared in a pasture land
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