TY - JOUR AU - Khanal, Ramesh C. AU - Upreti, Chet R. PY - 2014/11/24 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Evaluation of Selected Species of Fodder Trees Cultivated for Feeding Ruminant Animals in the Hills of Nepal JF - Nepal Agriculture Research Journal JA - Nepal Agric. Res. J. VL - 8 IS - 0 SE - Articles DO - 10.3126/narj.v8i0.11600 UR - https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NARJ/article/view/11600 SP - 88-94 AB - <p>Leaves and twigs from four species of tree fodders, <em>Aetocarpus lakoocha </em>(AL), <em>bauhinia&nbsp; purpurea </em>(BP), <em>Garuga pinnata </em>(GP) and <em>Ficus sroxburghii </em>(FR), cultivated widely for&nbsp; feeding ruminants in the hills of Nepal and maintained at the Agriculture Research Station&nbsp; (Goat), Bandipur were investigated for there chemical composition, and nutrient intake,&nbsp; digestibility, and growth rate in growing female goats. Differences occurred between species&nbsp; of tree fodders on nutrient composition, which contained 286, 342, 312, and 263 g/kg DM;&nbsp; 174, 98, 116 and 178 g/kg total ash; 137, 163, 140, and 119 g/kg CP; 440, 458, 437, and 451&nbsp; g/kg NDF; 383, 407, 382, and 406 g/kg ADF; 177, 135, 181, and 143 g/kg ADL; 19.5, 21.6,&nbsp; 20.9, and 29.3 g/kg Ca; and 2.2, 2.8, 2.4, and 2.5 g/kg P on DM basis for AL, BP, GP, and&nbsp; FR, respectively. The DM intake was higher for goats fed AL (432 g/d) and GP (428 g/d)&nbsp; than BP (342 g/d) or FR (306 g/d). Nutrient digestibility was higher for goats fed AL and&nbsp; GP, except Ca, which was higher for goats fed FR. Similarly, highest daily weight gain was&nbsp; observed for goats fed AL (71 g/d) and GP (64 g/d) than either of BP (54 g/d) or FR (30&nbsp; g/d). Overall, leaves and twigs from these tree fodders supported moderate growth, but may&nbsp; not be advisable for maximum production.</p><p><strong><em>Nepal Agric. Res. J. Vol. 8, 2007,</em></strong> pp. 88-94</p><p>DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/narj.v8i0.11600">http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/narj.v8i0.11600</a></p> ER -