Production of Gliricidia and Leucaena– based multi-nutrient blocks as supplementary ruminant feed resource in South Western Nigeria

Abstract

The energy, protein and minerals contained in agricultural wastes can be made available for feed supplementation of ruminants through production of multinutrient blocks (MNBs). Fibrous residues obtained from leaf protein concentrate of Leucaena leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium leaves fractionation were used to produce MNBs as follows: Leucaena + Poultry manure (LPMNB); Leucaena + Urea + Poultry manure (LUPMNB); Leucaena + Urea (LUMNB); Gliricidia + poultry manure (GPMNB); Gliricidia + Urea + poultry manure (GUPMNB) and Gliricidia + Urea (GUMNB). The proximate analysis and energy contents of multinutrient blocks (MNBs) showed that GUMNB contained the highest crude protein while GPMNB contained the least. The ash content was least in LPMNB and highest in GPMNB while LUMMB contained the least crude fibre but highest in GUPMNB. The ether extract values were 44.1+0.01, 65.1+0.01, 70.2+0.01, 81.9+0.01, 91.1+0.15 g kg -1 for LUMNB, LPMNB, LUPMNB, GPMNB, GUPMNB, respectively while the nitrogen free extract (NFE) values varied from 247.3+1.11g kg -1 DM in GUMNB to 523.8+6.28g kg -1 DM in LPMNB. The gross energy (GE) contents for GPMNB, LPMNB, LUPMNB, GUPMNB, LUMNB, GUMNB were 11.67, 12.74, 13.58, 14.56, 15.33, 15.48 MJ kg -1 respectively.Calcium was the most abundant (737.50g kg -1 to 971.40g kg -1 ) but the values were higher in Leucaena-based MNBS. The anti-nutrients of the multinutrient blocks are total polyphenols (as tannic acid equivalent), Phytin-P and oxalate.