Research Reports

Effect of including fresh Stylo 184 and cassava foliage (Manihot esculenta, Crantz), fed separately or in a mixture on digestibility, intake and N retention in growing pigs

Eight individually housed crossbred (Large White x Mong Cai) castrated male pigs of 26 to 30 kg were used to study the effect of fresh stylo (Stylosanthes guianensis, CIAT 184) (ST) and cassava foliage (CL), fed alone or in a mixture (MIX), together with a basal diet (Ctrl), on the intake, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance. The basal diet and the foliages were fed separately ad libitum. Total feed dry matter (DM) intake was higher when fresh stylo was offered mixed with cassava foliages in the proportion 50:50 (DM basis) (1624 g/day) as compared with fresh stylo (1583 g/day) or cassava foliages (1483 g/day) as the sole supplement and compared to the basal diet (1361 g/day) (P< 0.05). There were no significant differences (P>0.05) among treatments in digestibility of DM, but N digestibility was lowest for the CL (83.3%) and MIX (83.4%) treatments compared to Control (85.1%). N retention was higher (P<0.05) for the MIX (15 g/day), ST (14 g/day) and CL (13 g/day) treatments than for the Ctrl (11 g/day). There were no differences in DM digestibility among the foliages, which were in the range 58.9 % (CL) to 65.0 % (ST), nor in the N digestibility, which was in the range 60.5% (CL) to 73.4 % (FST). It was concluded that providing Stylosanthes guianensis and cassava foliage in a mixture increased DM intake and N retention compared to feeding them as the sole supplement and compared to a basal diet

Fulltext

Bounlieng Khoutsavang, Bounthong Bouahom and Brian Ogle