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Palm (Elaeis guineensis) oil, cassava foliage and broken rice as feed resources for growing pigs

 

Chhay Ty
 

UTA Foundation.org
Chamcar Daung, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

 Abstract

Three experiments were conducted at the University of Tropical Agriculture Foundation (UTA) in Cambodia to study performance traits, digestibility and nitrogen balance in growing pigs fed high levels of ensiled cassava leaves as the major source of dietary protein.

 

In experiment 1,  four Mong Cai x Large White castrate male pigs weighing on average 9.6 kg were used to study the effect on digestibility and N balance of graded levels (0, 5, 10 and 15% in dry basis) of refined palm (Elaeis guinensis, Jacq.) oil, in diets of broken rice and ensiled cassava leaves, arranged according to a 4x4 Latin square. The silage was made from sun-dried, wilted, chopped leaves of cassava  harvested after 4.5 to 5 months of growth. The cassava leaves were ensiled with 5% of sugar palm (Borassus flabellifer) syrup and stored during 30 days in plastic containers of 100 kg capacity.

 

The characteristics of the silage were: pH 4.10, DM 50.7 %; and (as % of DM) ash 14.1, organic matter 85.9, NDF 47.0, crude fibre 35.3, and N 3.92. The cyanide content of the silage was 110 mg/kg DM. Observed feed was on average 45.6 g DM/kg body weight. The level of dietary refined palm oil did not influence digestibility of DM, organic matter, NDF and crude fibre, average values for which were 73.8, 79.8, 52.7 and 52.3%, respectively. Extract digestibility increased significantly with increased levels of refined palm oil in the diet, such that the digestible energy content of the diets increased from 14.0 to 17.3 MJ/kg DM with increasing levels of palm oil. Neither N digestibility nor N retention was affected by the inclusion of refined palm oil in the diet. N digestibility was relatively low (overall mean, 66.7%) but N retention as related to N digested was high (overall mean, 82.7%).

 

Experiment 2 was a study on the effect of the degree of maturity of cassava leaves, and of supplementation with crude or refined palm oil,  on digestibility and N balance. Four Mong Cai x Large White castrate male pigs of mean initial weight 20.7 kg were allocated at random into four treatments according to a 4x4 Latin square arrangement to study the influence on digestibility indices of crude or refined palm oil and the age of cassava leaves prior to ensiling. The silage was made from sun-dried, wilted, cassava leaves harvested after 4.5 to 5 months of growth (from farmers’ fields, managed for root production) and from young cassava leaves, which were harvested after 2 months of regrowth (from the UTA ecological farm).

 

The characteristics of the silages were pH 3.93, 4.00 and DM 38.5, 34.2% and (on % dry basis) NDF 25.4 and 23.5; crude protein 24.5, 23.6, for young and old leaves, respectively. The cyanide content of the silage was 200 and 97.2 mg/kg DM for young and old cassava leaves, respectively. Feed intake was on average 44.3 and 41.7g DM/kg bodyweight for young and old cassava leaf silage, and 44.7 and 41.1g DM/kg body weight for refined and crude palm oil. There was no significant interaction (P>0.05) for any of the digestibility indices between the maturity of the cassava leaves and type of palm oil. Digestibility was higher for young versus old cassava leaves for DM, organic matter, crude fibre and ether extract. N balance indices also appeared to favour silage from young cassava leaves compared to old leaves. There was no significant effect of type of palm oil on nutrient digestibility or N balance.

 

In experiment 3, 16 Mong Cai*Large White female and castrate male pigs weighing on average 16 and 12 kg, respectively, were used in a 4*2 factorial arrangement to study the effect of graded levels of crude palm oil (0, 5, 10 and 15%) and sex (castrate male or female) on performance traits with a basal diet formulated with cassava leaf silage, fish meal and broken rice. The pigs were housed in individual pens and allocated at random to the four experimental diets. The feeding trial lasted for 16 weeks (112 days) and was analyzed according to three periods (0-8, 9-16 and overall 0-16 weeks).

 

There was no significant interaction between treatment and sex. Voluntary DM intake tended to increase with level of palm oil and to be less for castrate male pigs than for females. Level of palm oil had no effect on daily live weight gain but tended to improve the feed conversion ratio.

 

Key words: cassava leaves, digestibility, growth,  N retention, palm oil, silage

 

 

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