Nutritional characteristics of horticultural crop residues as ruminants feeds

Abstract

Various horticultural crop residues including vegetable (16) and fruit (9) crops consumed by the ruminants in Tripura, were evaluated in tenns of proximate composition, cell wall constituents (eWC's), in vitro dry matter and organic matter digestibility (IVDMD and IVOMD) metabolisable energy (ME) levels. Most of the residues contained high moisture levels (82.61±1.05%). The overall average values for OM, C~, EE, CF, NFE and total ash were 91.48±O.34, 11.87±O.54, 2.94±O.lO, 17.13±O.69, 59.54±1.00 and 8.52±O.33% (DM basis), respectively. About 65% of these had CP levels above 10%. Vegetable residues were comparatively richer in CP content (14.05±O.50%) than fruit residues (7.99±O.75%) while a reverse trend was observed for NFE (57.43±0.95 vs. 63.28±2.30%). The average values for NDF, ADF, hemicellulose, 'cellulose and ADL were 37.39±1.59, 22.66±O.87, 14.73±0.85, 15.88±O.64 and 4.44±O.25, respectively. The IVDMD values ranged from 53.25 to 82.61 (66.92±1.08%) and IVOMD from 54.53 to 84.58% (68.47±1.09%). The ME concentration averaged 8.37±O.12 MJ/kg DM ranging from 6.85 to 10.88 MJ/kg DM. There were large variations among different residues with regard to all the nutritional parameters studied. While NFE and EE contents had significantly positive correlation with IVDMD, IVOMD and ME values, however, CF, NDF and ADL showed significantly negative correlations with these parameters. ME levels were found positively correlated with IVDMD and IVOMD values. Thus, the majority of the horticultural residues possessed IVDMDIIVOMD values above 60% and ME above 7.5 MJlkg DM indicating that they are having sizable nutritional value, however, their high moisture content arid palatability needs to b~ taken care of, if they are used for livestock feeding.