Abstract :
This study was carried out to determine the potential nutritive value and in vitro gas production (IVGP) kinetics of some tree leaves. In this study four different tree foliages (orchid tree -Bauhinia purpurea L. (Fabaceae), eucalyptus -Eucalyptus camaldulensis, yellow oleander tree -Thevetia peruviana and pepper tree - Schinus molle) were used. The gas production of leaves over time was recorded at 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after incubation. The results of the present study suggested that there were differences among the tree leaves in terms of feed value, IVGP and IVGP kinetics such as energy value and organic matter digestibilities (P 0.01). The leaves of yellow oleander tree had the lowest neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and condensed tannin (CT) content (P 0.01). Also, IVGP of the leaves from yellow oleander tree was highest throughout the incubation period (P 0.01). In contrast, the lowest total gas production (96 h) was obtained from the fermentation of the leaves of orchid tree. Low fibre and condensed tannin contents of leaves of yellow oleander tree would probably increase the voluntary intake and digestibility of these leaves by small ruminants.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Leaves , roughage , in vitro gas production , energy value , organic matter digestibility
