Use of Cassava as Animal Feed

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Effects of planting method and fertilization on cassava
hay yield and chemical composition 

O Poungchompu, S Wanapat^*, A Polthanee*,
C Wachirapakorn and M Wanapat

Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture,
Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
^* Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University 

Abstract

Planting method and manure fertilization in cultivating cassava for cassava hay production were studied in a 2x2 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design. Dry matter (DM) yield (kg/ha) and chemical composition were measured for 3 cuttings, first at 3 months after planting and every 2 months thereafter. 

The combined DM yield and chemical composition after 3 cuttings were different among cuttings, planting with ridges and manure application, although there were no significant interactions. The DM yield and crude protein content were relatively high (3.6 to 4.4 tonnes/ha and 20.6 to 22.0%, respectively). Condensed tannins in cassava hay were within the range considered to be optimal (38 to 42 g/kg DM).

Key words: Planting method; manure; cassava hay; chemical composition; condensed tannins
 

Introduction 

Cassava (Manihot esculenta, Crantz) is an annual tropical tuber crop, easily grown under minimal management. Cultivation of cassava for cassava hay for animal feeding has been reported by Wanapat et al (1997, 2000c). However, suitable planting methods and management for growing of cassava for forage have not been extensively studied.           

The objective of this experiment was to study the effect of planting method and  fertilization on cassava hay yield and chemical composition.
 

Materials and Methods 

A 2x2 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design was used. The factors were:

• With ridging and without ridging.
• With manure and without manure

Plots (4x8 m) were prepared with 4 replications for each treatment. Cassava stems of KU 50 variety were used as planting material and a 50x30 cm spacing between rows and stems was employed. Cattle manure was applied at 1,250 kg/ha at initial planting.  Whole crop cassava was harvested first at 3 months after planting by breaking the stem at 10-15 cm above the ground, followed by two further cuttings at two month intervals, giving a total of three cuttings.  Fresh yield was measured and samples were taken for analyses of DM, ash, N,  NDF and ADF by standard methods. Condensed tannins were analyzed using the vanillin-HCl method (Burns1971). All data were subjected to analysis of variance using the GLM procedure (SAS 1987). Treatment means were compared using Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test.
 

Results and Discussion 

Dry matter yields (kg/ha) at the first cut were similar among treatments (1.0 to 1.2 tonnes/ha). The yields decreased slightly in the second harvest, but increased markedly at the third cutting, particularly in the plots with manure fertilization.  Much higher yields of cassava managed as forage have been reported recently from Vietnam (Preston et al 2000) and Cambodia (Preston and Khieu Borin 2001), of the order of  50 to 60 tonnes fresh foliage (from 10 to 12 tonnes of dry matter) over a 12 month growing cycle. However, fertilization was at a high level with the equivalent of some 600 kg N/ha/year applied as biodigester effluent.  The application of  1250 kg fresh manure, as in the present experiment,  is equivalent to less than 10 kg N/ha, much less than is exported in the foliage when the cassava is managed for forage production.  Further studies are needed on appropriate levels of fertilization when cassava is managed as a forage crop.  

Crude protein percentages were from 20.6 to 22.0%, while NDF and ADF values were relatively low, and were similar among treatments (Table 2).  These values could be expected to result in high digestibility and intake by animals, and thus support earlier findings by Wanapat et al (1997, 2000a, 2000b).  Le Ha Chau (1998) found that the protein content of the foliage taken from the first two harvests of cassava managed as forage were higher when biodigester effluent was used as fertilizer compared with the original raw manure. This also is an area worthy of further study.

Condensed tannins were from 38 to 42 g/kg DM and were within the range which would have a favorable impact on animal feed utilization (Barry and Manley 1984; Reed 1995).

  

Conclusions 

• Fertilizing cassava managed for forage production with live stock manure tended to increase the combined yield of foliage from the first three harvests but had no effect on the crude protein content
•  There was no effect of ridging the soil
•  Yields were higher in the third harvest than in harvests 1 and 2.
  

References

Barry T N and Manley T R 1984  The role of condensed tannins in the nutritional value of  Lotus peduculatus for sheep 2. Ouantitative digestion of carbohydrates and protein. Br. J. Nutr. 51:493. 

Burns R 1971  Method for estimation of tannin in grain sorghum. Agronomy Journal, 63: 511-512. 

Le Ha Chau 1998 Biodigester effluent versus manure from pigs or cattle as fertilizer for production of cassava foliage (Manihot esculenta). Livestock Research for Rural Developement  (10) 3: http://cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd10/3/chau1.htm

Preston T R 2001 Potential of cassava in integrated farming systems. Workshop on “Cassava as livestock feed”(Editors: T R Preston, Brian Ogle and Metha Waanapat). July 23-25 2001,  Khon Kaen University, Thailand.

Preston T R, Rodríguez Lylian  and Khieu Borin 2000 Associations of cassava and legume trees as perennial forage crops for livestock. Workshop-seminar "Making better  use of local feed resources" SAREC-UAF, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, January , 2000.

SAS 1987 SAS/STAT Guide for Personal computers, Version 6, Cary, NC: SAS Inc. 

Reed J D 1995 Nutritional toxicology of tannins and related polyphenols in forage legumes. J. Anim. Sci. 73:1516.

Wanapat  M,  Pimpa O,  Petlum A and  Boontao U  1997  Cassava hay: A new  strategic feed for ruminants during the dry season. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 9 (2): http://www.cipav.org.co/lrrd/lrrd9/2/metha92.htm

Wanapat  M,  Petlum A and Pimpa O 2000a   Supplementation of cassava hay to replace concentrate use in   lactating Holstein-Friesian crossbreds. Asian-Australasian J. Anim. Sci., 13:600-604.

Wanapat M, Puramongkon T and Siphuak  W  2000b  Feeding of cassava hay for lactating dairy cows. Asian-Australasian J. Anim. Sci., 13:478-482.

Wanapat M, Pimpa O,  Sripuek W, Puramongkol T, Petlum A, Boontao U, Wachirapakorn C and Sommart K 2000c  Cassava hay: an important on-farm feed for ruminants. In Proc. International Workshop on Tannins in Livestock and Human Nutrition (Ed. J D Brooker), ACIAR Proc. No. 92, p. 71-74

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