Evaluation of Selected Species of Tree Fodders Cultivated for Feeding Ruminants in the Hills of Nepal

Abstract

Leaves and twigs from four species of tree fodders, Artocarpus lakoocha (AL), Bauhinia purpurea (BP), Garuga pinnata (GP) and Ficus roxburghii (FR), cultivated widely for feeding ruminants in the hills of Nepal and maintained at the Agriculture Research Station (Goat), Bandipur were investigated for their chemical composition and nutrient intake, digestibility and growth rate in growing female goats. Differences occurred between species of tree fodders on nutrient composition, which contained 286, 342, 312 and 263 g kg^-1 DM; 174, 98, 116 and 178 g kg^-1 total ash; 137, 163, 140 and 119 g kg^-1 CP; 440, 458, 437 and 451 g kg^-1 NDF; 383, 407, 382 and 406 g kg^-1 ADF; 177, 135, 181 and 143 g kg^-1 ADL; 19.5, 21.6, 20.9 and 29.3 g kg ^-1 Ca; and 2.2, 2.8, 2.4 and 2.5 g kg^-1 P on DM basis for AL, BP, GP and FR, respectively. The DM intake was higher for goats fed AL (432 g/d) and GP (428 g/d) than BP (342 g/d) or FR (306 g/d). Nutrient digestibility was higher for goats fed AL and GP, except Ca, which was higher for goats fed FR. Similarly, highest daily weight gain was observed for goats fed AL (71 g/d) and GP (64 g/d) than either of BP (54 g/d) or FR (30 g/d). Overall, leaves and twigs from these tree fodders supported moderate growth, but may not be advisable for maximum ruminant production.