Potato Vines Research Articles

English

Seed systems that provide farmers with planting materials may be divided into formal and informal systems. For the sweet potato sector, the informal seed system is the main provider of planting materials to small and medium sized farmers in developing countries. This informal system provides planting materials to smallholder farmers at the right time, place and quantity. However, for it to be effective there must be an appropriate means of communication between multipliers and buyers of sweet potato vines. This may be achieved with the use of mobile phones. Mobile phones are said to have great impact in improving trade through provision of accurate and timely information directly to farmers. However mobile phones usage in agriculture is still low. Many farmers still rely on the traditional way of accessing information which seems inadequate. This study characterized users and non-users of mobile phones and assessed factors that influenced mobile phones usage in sweet potato vines trade. A cross sectional causal comparative survey research design was used.  The study obtained primary data from 140 randomly selected respondents in three purposively selected project sub-counties in Gulu district. Descriptive statistics and probit regression were used to analyse the data. Our results indicated that users and non-users of mobile phones in sweet potato vines marketing differed in a number of socio-economic characteristics. Users of mobile phone were on average younger, better educated and had bigger sweet potato fields. The Probit regression results revealed that the farmers’ age negatively influenced the decision to use mobile phones in sweet potato vines trade. On the other hand, education and household income positively influenced the decision to use mobile phones in sweet potato vine trade.  Mobile phones therefore have potential for improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and should be specifically targeted to lure the youths into agriculture. Key words: Mobile phones, sweet potato vines, seed system, marketing, Gulu district. &nbsp

PENGARUH PENGGANTIAN SEBAGIAN RANSUM DENGAN TEPUNG DAUN DAN BATANG UBI JALAR (Ipomoea batatas) TERHADAP KECERNAAN PROTEIN DAN ENERGI PADA TERNAK BABI

EFFECT OF PARTLY SUBSTITUTION OF BASAL DIET WITH SWEET POTATO VINES (Ipomoea batatas) MEAL ON ENERGY AND PROTEIN DIGESTIBILITY OF PIGS. Pork is one of the meat producer animals that can contribute to satisfy animal protein requirements. Sweet potato vines is considered as an agricultural waste product and can be used as feedstuff for pigs. The present study was conducted to determine the utilization of sweet potato vines substituting basal diet on energy and protein digestibility of finisher pigs. Five ‘Duroc X Spotted Poland China’ castrated male pigs, aged 3.5 to 4.0 months with an initial body weight 50 kg (±2.5 kg) were assigned to four treatments as follow: R0 = 100% basal diet + 0% sweet potato vines meal; R1 = 92.5% basal diet + 7.5% sweet potato vines meal; R2 = 85% basal diet + 15% sweet potato vines meal; R3 = 77.5% basal diet + 22.5% sweet potato vines meal; and R4 = 70% basal diet + 30% sweet potato vines meal. Parameters measured were: energy and protein digestibility. Research reasults showed that there is no significant differences (P > 0.05) among treatments on energy and protein digestibility of pigs in the present study. This indicated that utilization of sweet potato vines meal up to 30% replacing basal diet did not affect digestible energy and protein of finishing pigs. It can be concluded that substituting basal diet with sweet potato vines meal up to 30% has no negative effect on energy and protein digestibility of finishing pigs. Keywords: Sweet potato vines, energy digestibility, protein digestibility, pigs

Effect of Sweet Potato Vine Planting Orientation on the Growth and Yield of Sweet Potato/Maize Intercropping System in Makurdi, Southern Guinea Savanna, Nigeria

Two field experiments were carried out during the cropping seasons of 2016 and 2017 at the Teaching and Research Farm of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. The experiments sought to determine the effect of sweet potato vine orientation on growth and yield of sweet potato/maize intercropping system with a view to improve the productivity of maize/sweet potato intercropping in Makurdi. The experiment was a 2 x 2 x 3 split-split plot laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plot treatments were two cropping systems [sole cropping (sweet potato, maize), intercropping (sweet potato + maize)].The sub plot treatments were made up of two maize varieties (pop.66SR/ACR.91 SUWAH 1-SR and M2: pool18R/AK94DMRESR-Y). The sub-sub plot treatments comprised of three (3) sweet potato vine orientations (incline, loop and horizontal). The result obtained from the experiment showed sole cropping gave higher cob length, number of seeds per cob, cob weight, grain yield and 100-seed weight of maize than intercropping in both years. In all years, pool18R/AK94DMRESR-Y produced higher yield and yield parameters of maize than pop.66SR/ACR.91 SUWAH 1-SR irrespective of the cropping system. In 2016 and 2017, horizontal vine orientation gave higher vine length, root diameter, root length, number of saleable roots per hectare and weight of saleable roots than all the other vine orientations. Intercropping with pop.66SR/ACR.91 SUWAH 1-SR gave higher growth and yield parameters than intercropping with pool18R/AK94DMRESR-Y. All intercrop combinations had LER figures above 1.0 and LEC values above 0.25 in both years. CR values of sweet potato were consistently higher than those of maize in all intercrop combinations in 2016 and 2017

Anaerobic digestion performance of sweet potato vine and animal manure under wet, semi-dry, and dry conditions

Sweet potato vine (SPV) is an abundant agricultural waste, which is easy to obtain at low cost and has the potential to produce clean energy via anaerobic digestion (AD). The main objectives of this study were to reveal methane production and process stability of SPV and the mixtures with animal manure under various total solid conditions, to verify synergetic effect in co-digestion of SPV and manure in AD systems, and to determine the kinetics characteristics during the full AD process. The results showed that SPV was desirable feedstock for AD with 200.22 mL/g VSadded of methane yield in wet anaerobic digestion and 12.20 Lmethane/Lworking volume in dry anaerobic digestion (D-AD). Synergistic effects were found in semi-dry anaerobic digestion and D-AD with each two mixing feedstock. In contrast with SPV mono-digestion, co-digestion with manure increased methane yield within the range of 14.34–49.11% in different AD digesters. The values of final volatile fatty acids to total alkalinity (TA) were below 0.4 and the values of final pH were within the range of 7.4–8.2 in all the reactors, which supported a positive relationship between carbohydrate hydrolysis and methanogenesis during AD process. The mathematical modified first order model was applied to estimate substrate biodegradability and methane production potential well with conversion constant ranged from 0.0003 to 0.0953 1/day, which indicated that co-digestion increased hydrolysis efficiency and metabolic activity. This work provides useful information to improve the utilization and stability of digestion using SPV and livestock or poultry manure as substrates.

Translocation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers from field-contaminated soils to an edible plant

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), recognised emerging contaminants, widely exist and persist in the environment. Samples were taken from a heavily contaminated farm in Taiwan located near a factory known to regularly use PBDEs. Sweet potato vines (Ipomoea batatas L., a commonly consumed vegetable in Asia) growing in the surrounding farmlands were found to contain a high concentration of PBDEs of 19.36 ng/g. The possibility of PBDEs translocation into sweet potato vines from soil samples was evaluated. To prevent the PBDEs from air through that factory, the pot experiments were performed in a greenhouse, which showed that the PBDEs concentration of 24 congeners (tri- through deca-BDE) in the sweet potato vine after 14-days cultivation was 29.90 ng/g, 40-times higher than that in the contaminated soil. After another 14-days, the PBDE concentration decreased to 12.30 ng/g as high-brominated PBDEs were transformed to medium- and/or low-brominated PBDEs in the sweet potato vine. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) values exceeded 20.0 for most of the deca-, nona-, and octa-BDEs but BCFs were below 18.9 for the rest of the medium- and low-brominated PBDEs. Our results demonstrate that high-brominated PBDEs can translocate into leafy vegetables from soils, and sweet potato vines tend to accumulate high-brominated PBDEs into their edible parts.

Comparative research on deoxy-liquefaction of marine and terrestrial biomasses

Marine biomass and terrestrial biomass have distinct compositions and structures. In order to understand the effect of feedstock difference on deoxy-liquefaction products, the experiments were performed with marine biomass (Enteromorpha prolifera, Giant kelp, Undaria pinnatifida) and terrestrial biomass (cotton stalk, sweet potato vine, plane leaves) for comparison of product yields and compositions. GC–MS results showed that the liquid oils from marine biomass were rich in alkanes (36.64–39.18%) and nitrogenous compounds (7.07–11.61%). While, the terrestrial biomass oils were rich in phenolic compounds (36.02–40.55%) and aromatic hydrocarbons (6.36–12.31%). The solid char properties were further characterized by FTIR, XRD and SEM analysis, respectively and their potential applications were also discussed. All the results suggested that the types of feedstock have a significant effect on the biomass deoxy-liquefaction products.

Nutritional Evaluation of Sweet Potato Vines from Twelve Cultivars as Feed for Ruminant Animals

Nutritional Evaluation of Sweet Potato Vines from Twelve Cultivars as Feed for Ruminant Animals

Impact of moisture content on instant catapult steam explosion pretreatment of sweet potato vine

BackgroundLignocellulose originating from renewable and sustainable biomass is a promising alternative resource to produce biofuel. However, the complex component, especially high moisture content, leads to a higher cost of transportation and processing. The instant catapult steam explosion (ICSE) pretreatment can exploit the intracellular water of lignocellulosic materials and convert into vapors leading towards the breakdown of the feedstock during the explosion process. However, it is necessary to study the impact of moisture content on the pretreatment.ResultsThe sugar yield of wet feedstock after ICSE pretreatment reached 88.05%, which was higher when compared to dried and untreated biomass. The utilization of wet feedstock decreased the production of inhibitor and improved the carbohydrate content in ICSE-treated biomass. There occurred a shrinkage of feedstock after drying process and the mechanical breakage upon ICSE pretreatment. Moreover, not all water was converted into vapor to cause breakage in the lignocellulose.ConclusionICSE has shown to be preferably suitable to pretreat wet sweet potato vine with high moisture content, either fresh or soaked biomass that has been dried before. By using these materials, it would have a higher sugar yield and lower inhibitor production after pretreatment. Based on these advantaged aspects of ICSE platform, two potential strategies are proposed to improve the economic and environmental impacts of pretreatment.

Effect of replacing alfalfa hay with a mixture of cassava foliage silage and sweet potato vine silage on ruminal and intestinal digestion in sheep.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of replacing alfalfa hay (AH) with a mixture of cassava foliage silage and sweet potato vine silage (CSP) (1:1 on a dry matter (DM) basis) on ruminal and intestinal nutrient digestion in sheep. Four wethers were fed a control diet containing 35% of AH and two treatment diets containing 15% and 30% of the CSP as substitute for AH at 1.5 times the metabolizable energy required for maintenance. Replacing AH with the CSP silage did not affect DM intake, whereas it linearly increased (P<0.05) the intake of ether extract and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN). Increasing the CSP substitution linearly decreased (P<0.05) ruminal DM and neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom) digestibility; however, it did not affect total tract aNDFom digestibility. The CSP substitution did not affect nitrogen (N) intake and duodenal total N flow, whereas it linearly increased duodenal ADIN flow (P<0.01) and decreased ruminal ammonia-N concentration (P<0.01), and intestinal (P=0.08) and total N digestibility (P<0.01). These results indicate that replacing AH with the CSP reduced the ruminal N degradation as well as the digestion of ruminal aNDFom and intestinal N.

Determination of ametoctradin in plant residues and environmental samples by HPLC with an UV detector

The study deals with the development of a method for the determination of ametoctradin by HPLC with UV detection. Samples were extracted with aqueous acetone and then purified by distribution between immiscible solvents and also on solid-phase extraction cartridges. The procedure was tested in the determination of ametoctradin in water in the range 0.001–0.01 mg/L, in soil, potato vine and potato tubers, salad, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, grapes, and grape juice in the range from 0.005 to 0.1 mg/kg, depending on the matrix. The average recoveries were 78−92% with RSD < 0.08%. The proposed procedure is applicable to the determination of ametoctradin in environmental samples and plant residues.

Allzyme SSF supplementation improves the utilization of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) vine meal by growing pigs

ABSTRACTThe effects of Allzyme SSF supplementation of sweet potato vine meal (SPVM) on the performance of growing pigs were investigated. A control diet based on fish meal and full-fat soybean as protein sources and diets containing 150 and 300 g/kg of SPVM with and without SSF were fed each to pigs in five replicates pens in a completely randomized design for a period of 84 days. There was no treatment effect (P > .05) on dry matter intake. The highest body weight gain was recorded on the SSF- supplemented SPVM groups (P < .05) and the lowest (P < .05) on the SPVM-based diets without enzyme. Dressing percentage and P2 back fat thickness were not affected by dietary treatment (P > .05), but per cent ham was markedly reduced on the control compared with the enzyme-supplemented SPVM diets (P < .05). The relative weight of digesta in the stomach and small intestine was not affected by the diet (P > .05). Allzyme supplementation significantly reduced digesta weight in the large intestine (P < .05) even at 30% dietary SPVM. It was concluded that supplementation of the diet with Allzyme SSF will improve the utilization of up to 30% SPVM by grower pigs, reduce cost of pork production and add value to this by-product.

Application of methanol and sweet potato vine hydrolysate as enhancers of citric acid production by Aspergillus niger

BackgroundAgricultural waste is as an alternative low-cost carbon source or beneficial additives which catch most people’s eyes. In addition, methanol and sweet potato vine hydrolysate (SVH) have been reported as the efficient enhancers of fermentation according to some reports. The objective of the present study was to confirm SVH as an efficient additive in CA production and explore the synergistic effects of methanol and SVH in fermentation reactions.ResultsThe optimal fermentation conditions resulted in a maximum citric acid concentration of 3.729 g/L. The final citric acid concentration under the optimized conditions was increased by 3.6-fold over the original conditions, 0.49-fold over the optimized conditions without methanol, and 1.8-fold over the optimized conditions in the absence of SVH. Kinetic analysis showed that Qp, Yp/s, and Yx/s in the optimized systems were significantly improved compared with those obtained in the absence of methanol or SVH. Further, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that methanol stress promoted the formation of conidiophores, while SVH could neutralize the effect and prolong Aspergillus niger vegetative growth. Cell viability analysis also showed that SVH might eliminate the harmful effects of methanol and enhance cell membrane integrity.ConclusionsSVH was a superior additive for organic acid fermentation, and the combination of methanol and SVH displayed a significant synergistic effect. The research provides a preliminary theoretical basis for SVH practical application in the fermentation industry.

Conversion of vegetable wastes to organic acids in leaching bed reactor: Performance and bacterial community analysis

Vegetable wastes (VWs), which contained abundant solid content, were digested in a leaching bed reactor (LBR). The tested VWs for acidification in the LBR included cabbage, potato, and tomato vine. The digestion in the LBR was carried out at the same organic loading rate of 25g volatile solid (VS) per liter. It was found that cabbage and potato produced much more volatile fatty acids (VFAs) than tomato vine, probably because readily degradable components were more abundant in cabbage and potato. The retention time to digest each feedstock was different. It took 4, 5, and 8 days for cabbage, potato, and tomato vine to completely disappear in the reactor, respectively. The profiles of the VFAs generated from the three VWs were examined. In all cases, the predominant VFAs were acetic acid and butyric acid, although the relative abundance of individual VFA varied across the tested leachate samples. The bacterial community compositions of the leachates were analyzed by high throughput sequencing, and it was found that the feedstock strongly affected the bacterial community structure in the acidogenic process. All leachates had distinct bacterial community structure, although they did share a common set of core communities that included Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes.

The Effect of Nitrogen Rate on Vine Kill, Tuber Skinning Injury, Tuber Yield and Size Distribution, and Tuber Nutrients and Phytonutrients in Two Potato Cultivars Grown for Early Potato Production

Sixteen vine kill programs were tested on Bintje and Ciklamen potato cultivars grown for early potato production over a three year period near Paterson, Washington. Mechanical (flail chopping, flail chopping and undercutting), chemical (glufosinate, diquat, sulfuric acid, carfentrazone, pyraflufen-ethyl), and physical (flaming) vine kill methods, and sequential combinations of the three were effective in killing rapidly growing potato vines of Bintje and Ciklamen. Rolling and crimping did not kill vines as completely and more vine regrowth occurred than with most other methods tested. Tuber skinning injury was greatly reduced when harvesting at 4 weeks after initial vine kill than at 2 weeks. None of the vine kill programs were able to hasten skin set enough to allow tubers to be harvested at 2 weeks after initial vine kill without significant tuber skinning injury. Glufosinate treatments that were applied several days earlier than other initial vine kill treatments tended to average less skinning injury at the early harvest possibly due to more time elapsing between initial vine kill and harvest. Total tuber yield and size distribution were similar among most vine kill treatments, with the exception of the earlier applied glufosinate treatments, which tended to reduce total yield, but still yielded a similar mass of desired 25 to 35 mm diameter tubers. Tubers from vine-killed plots tended to average greater N, P, K, Fe, and Ca content than tubers from non-killed control plots of both cultivars. Tuber ascorbate levels were also greater in non-killed controls, whereas total phenolic content tended to be greatest in earlier-applied glufosinate treatments. Nonchemical vine kill methods, chemical vine kill methods, and combinations of the two were identified that killed vines well, had low skinning injury at the 4 week harvest, and yielded similar amounts of 25 to 35 mm diameter early potato tubers.

Evaluating nutritional value of processed potato vines by in vitro gas production

ABSTRACTThis study aimed at determining the in vitro nutritive value of treated potato vines and evaluating their potential to replace lucerne in ruminant diets. Potato vines were treated as air-dried (H); ensiled without additive (S), with 10% molasses (SM) or with 10% molasses plus 4% urea (SMU); pre-dried and ensiled either with 10% molasses (HSM), or with 10% molasses plus 4% urea (HSMU). Gas production kinetics, and ruminal digestibility and fermentation of the vines were determined in vitro alone or as 20% or 40% of a mixed ration with lucerne. The SMU and HSMU had the highest asymptotic gas production, ruminal digestibility, total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) and microbial protein (MP). Including SMU and HSMU at 40% in the mixed ration resulted also in the highest digestibility, TVFA and MP. These findings indicate the great potential of additive-treated potato vine silages to replace conventional fodder in the diets of ruminants.

The utilization of sweet potato vines as carbon sources for fermenting bio-butanol

Abstract In this study, domestic sweet potato vines were selected as the lignocellulosic material for producing monosaccharides where monosaccharides as produced were used for biobutanol production by Clostridium acetobutylicum . First, the compositional analysis showed that dried sweet potato vines consisted of 17.7 ± 1.5 wt. % cellulose, 4.0 ± 1.4 wt. % hemicellulose, 17.2 ± 1.0 wt. % lignin, 1.5 ± 0.3 wt. % ash, and 8.5 ± 0.5 wt. % moisture. The combination of acid-pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis provided a good total glucose and xylose yields of 0.74 g/g-glucose total and 0.99 g/g-xylose total . However, 0.25 g/g-glucose total and 0.68 g/g-xylose total were released during the acid pretreatment and therefore results in a low sugar concentration in the enzymatic hydrolysis liquid. On the other hand, the combination of alkali-pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis provided total glucose and xylose yields of 0.64 g/g-glucose total and 0.63 g/g-xylose total and most of released sugars were found in the enzymatic hydrolysate. The enzymatic hydrolysate of the alkali-pretreated sweet potato vines (1.5 wt. % NaOH, 12 wt. % sample loading, and a reaction time of 20 min) was used as feedstock for acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation and 6.4 ± 0.2 g/L of butanol was obtained in 72 h with the butanol yield of 0.18 g/g-sugar total . In summary, the efficiency of converting dried sweet potato vines to bio-butanol was 23%.

Comparative Evaluation of Development and Reproductive Capacity of Two Biotypes of Lilioceris cheni (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Biological Control Agents of Air Potato (Dioscorea Bulbifera) in Florida

A Chinese biotype of Lilioceris cheni Gressitt and Kimoto (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is being mass reared and released in Florida for biological control of the invasive air potato vine, Dioscorea bulbifera L. (Dioscoreales). Another biotype from Nepal is under investigation for determining whether its release would benefit the ongoing biological control program. We compared temperature-dependent development, fecundity, life table parameters, and consumption of the two biotypes in the laboratory. Both biotypes completed development at 20–30 °C, although survival of Chinese beetles was higher at 20 °C and 27.5 °C, and survival of Nepalese beetles was higher at 30 °C. In addition, Nepalese beetles developed at a faster rate at 20 °C, and consumed air potato foliage at a higher rate at 25 °C. The most important difference between the biotypes, with regard to biological control purposes, was the shorter generation time of Nepalese beetles, which resulted in a higher intrinsic rate of population increase, despite much higher fecundity of Chinese beetles. The higher intrinsic rate of increase of the Nepalese beetles may allow a more rapid population increase in the field, and thus, greater damage to air potato plants. However, differences in other life history traits, such as overwintering ability, diapause, and cold tolerance, will also influence field performance.

Effect of sweet potato vines on performance parameters and some carcass characteristics of rabbits.

Conventional feedstuffs in Brazil are expensive, which has led to the search for less conventional cheaper and locally available feedstuffs. Thus, this study was carried out to determine the dietary effect of dry sweet potato vines (SPV) on the performance and some carcass characteristics of rabbits. A total of twenty-seven weaned White New Zealand rabbits (14 male and 13 female) 35days old with an average initial weight of 755g were allocated into three treatments. Nine rabbits were assigned to each treatment in a completely randomized design. Three diets were formulated to similar protein and energy levels: 0SPV - diet without inclusion of dry sweet potato vines; 10SPV - diet with 10% alfalfa hay replaced by dry sweet potato vines; and 15SPV - diet with 15% of alfalfa hay replaced by dry sweet potato vines. The experiment lasted for 49days during which data for feed intake and body weight were recorded. The daily feed intake ranged from 73.17 to 78.02g; daily weight gain from 22.32 to 23.17g; feed conversion ratio (FCR) from 3.16 to 3.49 and final live weight ranged from 1839.44 to 1880.55g. None of the evaluated performance parameters as well as carcass weight, heart weight and percentages of fat and protein in meat were significantly affected by any of the tested dietary treatments. However, the liver weight was statistically lower in animals fed the diets containing 10% of SPV, mainly due to lower glucose content. Glycogen within the tissue, did not differ significantly among treatments. It was therefore concluded that up to 15% of SPV can successfully be included in the diet of rabbits as a cheaper replacement for alfalfa hay without adversely affecting performance.

Influence of vines production methods and their combination with time of harvest on tuber quality and yield of sweet potato

Availability of sufficient sweet potato vines is usually a problem during the planting season because most of the sweet potato vines from the previous harvest dry up before the next planting season. Also, in the process whereby the farmers are resulted to the prolonged multiplication of old vines for the planting of the new fields, the yield and quality of harvested tubers are reduced due to vines degeneration, diseases and pests infestation. Therefore, trials were conducted at Ajase-Ipo community of Irepodun local government area in Kwara state and Ifon community of Ose local government area in Ondo state of Nigeria in 2008 and 2009 to investigate vines producing methods and and their combination with different time of harvest. Three vines production methods investigated are nurseries, vines from sprouts roots and vines from successive planting (Farmers’ practice) and the harvesting time of sweet potato are 120, 140, 160 and 180 days after planting (DAP). The results indicated that, the effects of the vines production methods on the weight of fresh marketable tubers, weight of fresh unmarketable tubers, weight of total fresh tubers, tuber dry matter content and harvest index were significant. At both locations, nursery method gave the significantly highest values (15.2 and 13.8 t/ha) for marketable tubers in 2008 and 2009 at Ajase Ipo and (17.4 and 15.2 t/ha) at Ifon compared to sprouted roots and successive planting methods (Farmers’ practice). The combination of the methods of vines production and time of harvest effects significantly affected the average weight of marketable tubers at Ajase Ipo and Ifon. Nursery method gave the significantly highest values [(13.5 and 15.8 t/ha), (11.8 and 12.9 t/ha), (9.4 and 9.8 t/ha) and (8.4 and 7.9 t/ha)] at Ajase Ipo and Ifon at 120, 140, 160, and 180 days after planting (DAP) respectively compared to sprouted roots and successive planting methods. The combination of the methods of vines production and the time of harvest effects significantly affected the average weight of weevil free marketable tubers and badly infected marketable tubers at Ajase Ipo and Ifon. Consistently, nursery method gave the significantly highest values [(13.5 and 15.8 t/ha), (12.9 and 14.8 t/ha), (10.3 and 13.1 t/ha) and (8.6 and 11.8 t/ha)] weevil free marketable tubers at Ajase Ipo and Ifon at 120, 140, 160, and 180 DAP respectively compared to sprouted roots and successive planting methods that were not significantly different from each other. But, the least values [(6.9 and 7.3 t/ha), (5.8 and 4.1 t/ha), (4.8 and 3.1 t/ha) and (1.6 and 2.3 t/ha)] at Ajase Ipo and Ifon at 120, 140, 160, and 180 DAP respectively were recorded for successive planting method.

Effect of replacing alfalfa with processed potato vines on growth performance, ruminal and total tract digestibility and blood metabolites in fattening lambs

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of replacing alfalfa hay with potato vines hay (PVH) and potato vines silage (PVS) on growth performance, digestibility and blood metabolites of fattening lambs. For this, twenty-four fattening lambs were assigned randomly to one of four dietary treatments. Treatments included: 1) basal diet without potato vines (CTRL); 2, 3) replacing 50 and 100% of alfalfa in the basal diet with PVH (PVH50, PVH100, respectively); and 4) replacing 50% of alfalfa with PVS (PVS50). The diets were formulated to be iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous and were fed ad-libitum to lambs during 70days of performance period. Blood samples, taken on d 30 and 70, were analyzed for biochemical and hematological parameters. At the end of performance period, lambs were transferred into metabolic crates and the digestibility of the diets were evaluated during 7 d fecal collection, following a 14-d adaptation period. Metabolizable energy (ME) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) of PVH and PVS as well as ruminal digestibility and fermentation of the diets were determined in vitro using gas production technique. Organic matter (%), CP (%), NDF (%), OMD (%) and ME (MJ/kg) contents were 79.2, 14.7, 45.1, 72.3, 8.74; 89.9, 16.1, 43, 58.8, 7.74; and 90.4, 14.5, 48, 67.2, 9.5 for PVH, PVS and alfalfa, respectively. Replacing alfalfa with PVH and PVS had no effect on the growth performance of lambs (P>0.05). However, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) concentration was affected by the treatments (P<0.01), with the lowest value observed with PVH100. There was no significant treatment effect on nutrients digestibility except for CP, which tended to increase with PVH100. In vitro results showed no treatment effect on ruminal digestibility (P>0.05). Partitioning factor (PF) tended to increase with PVH and PVS containing diets (P=0.09). However, there was a treatment effect on the gas produced after 24h incubation (GP24) and TVFA (P<0.05), with their lowest values observed in PVH100 and PVS50, respectively. Treatments affected serum glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, and albumin (P<0.01). Overall concentrations of cholesterol and triglyceride decreased in lambs fed diets containing PVH and PVS, but glucose and albumin decreased only in lambs receiving PVH50 and PVH100. There was also a treatment by day interaction effect on serum glucose, urea, triglyceride and albumin concentrations (P<0.01). Hepatic enzymes and hematological parameters were not affected by the treatments (P>0.05). Overall, these results indicated that processed potato vines can be used in feeding fattening lambs without having adverse effect on their health and performance.