Erythrina edulis as a potential fodder alternative for improving livestock nutrition by small livestock farmers

Abstract

Erythrina edulis (E. edulis) is a leguminous plant which can improve the diet of ruminants fed with low-quality forages. Aim: To determine the chemical composition, amino acid profile, in situ dry matter (DM), and crude protein (CP), degradability of leaves and the whole sheath of E. edulis for use in ruminant feeding. Materials and Methods: The leaf samples were collected in January (vegetative stage) and were cut 50–60 cm from the tip of the second youngest branch at the top of each tree. Whereas the whole sheath was collected in June (fructification stage). The samples were then pooled and dried in a forced air oven at 60°C for 48hr.Then they were milled and homogenized through a cyclone mill with a 1 mm mesh for determining chemical composition. For in situ rumen incubation, the samples were milled with a 2 mm mesh. Results: High CP contents (> 20%) and a modest amino acid profile were found in both phenological stages. Nevertheless, the leaves showed greater cell wall content than the whole sheath (P = 0.006; 0.030) and greater methane gas production (132.8 vs 132.0±0.01g CH4 animal^-1 day^-1; P = 0.012). Whereas, the highest in situ DM and CP degradability was observed in the sheath after 24 h^-1 (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The whole sheath seems to be a good option in terms of nutritive values and degradability for inclusion as supplementation in ruminant feeding by small livestock farmers.