Abstract
The forage potential of mulberry (Morus alba) was evaluated under Malaysian conditions. The yield and nutrient composition of plant fractions of mulberry (whole plant, leaf and stem fractions) were determined at four harvest stages, namely, 3 (W3), 5 (W5), 7 (W7) and 9 (W9) weeks in a randomized block design. The study was conducted over a 9-month period to assess the persistence of the crop to repeated harvests. Fresh and dry matter (DM) yields of all plant fractions increased significantly (p<0.01) with increasing intervals between harvests, with highest DM yields at W9. The leaf to stem ratio declined significantly (p<0.01) from 5.2 (W3) to 0.9 (W9), indicating predominance of the stem fraction with advancing maturity. The nutritional composition of plant fractions was also significantly influenced (p<0.01) by advancing plant maturity at harvest. Crude protein (CP), ash and the metabolisable energy content of plant fractions declined significantly (p<0.01) from W3 to W9, while there was a corresponding significant increase (p<0.01) in the acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin. From this study it was concluded that the optimum stage to harvest the whole plant is 5 weeks, which is a compromise between yield, nutrient composition (CP and fibre components), and the annual number of cuts, with good crop persistence to repeated harvests. Fresh mulberry whole plant can provide a valuable supplemental source of nutrients to poor quality basal diets.
Highlights
The leaves of the multipurpose perennial shrub, mulberry (Morus sp), traditionally used for silkworm rearing, is known for its high protein content with good amino acid profile, high digestibility, high mineral content, low fibre content and very good palatability (Sanchez, 2002)
Increasing intervals between harvests significantly increased the fresh and dry matter (DM) yields of all plant fractions, there was a predominance of the stem with advancing maturity
Yield data obtained in the present study were lower than that reported by some authors (Blanco (1992) cited by Boschini, Advancing plant maturity resulted in significant changes in the nutritional composition of mulberry, which is reflected in the decline in protein content, and an associated increase in the fibre components, namely, NDF, ADF and lignin
Summary
The leaves of the multipurpose perennial shrub, mulberry (Morus sp), traditionally used for silkworm rearing, is known for its high protein content with good amino acid profile, high digestibility, high mineral content, low fibre content and very good palatability (Sanchez, 2002). The high biomass yield of the plant together with its low tannin content (Patra et al, 2002; Singh and Makkar, 2002) make it an attractive fodder resource for ruminants as a supplement to low quality basal diets. There is evidence that mulberry foliage compares favourably to commercial concentrates (Patra et al, 2002), whilst maintaining optimum animal performance (Gonzales and Milera, 2002; Liu et al, 2002; Sanchez, 2002), through improvements in the rumen functions (Singh and Makkar, 2002). Research conducted on mulberry in different countries (Gonzales and Milera, 2002; Liu et al, 2002), have focused mostly on the utilisation of the leaves, which like most forages, contain greater nutrient concentrations than the whole plant. The whole plant, when harvested during the early growth stages can be a potentially valuable supplemental feed resource to poor quality diets. Systematic and in-depth knowledge on the yield and nutritional composition of mulberry in early growth stages
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