Intake, digestibility and N retention by growing pigs fed ensiled or dried Taro (Colocasia esculenta) leaves as the protein supplement in basal diets of rice bran/broken rice or rice bran/cassava root meal

摘要: The experiment was conducted in the Center for Livestock and Agriculture Development (CelAgrid) Cambodia. Four crossbred castrated male pigs, weighing on average 20 kg, were allotted at random to 4 diets, a 2*2 factorial within 4*4 Latin square, study effect of ensiled sun-dried Taro leaves intake, digestibility N retention. basal diets rice bran + broken or cassava root meal (1:1 ratio). offered 2% live weight (DM basis) dried ad libitum. Almost twice quantity as DM consumed when these compared with form. taro provided from 38 (ensiled) 43% (sun-dried) dietary 75 82% protein. Apparent OM tended be higher versus leaves. Coefficients crude protein lower, fiber, There significant effects intake urine N, faecal After adjusting variables by covariance there processing (decreased leaves) (increased but not retained percentage affected energy source . digested differences intake. apparently nutritive value may have been caused inadequacies ensiling process, resulting excessive breakdown poor palatability. relatively high values retention (equivalent about 250 g/day gain) proportion diet leaves, are indicative biological leaf protein, especially it represented over 80% diets.