Ensiling of mulberry foliage (Morus alba) and the nutritive value of mulberry foliage silage for goats in central Vietnam

Nguyen Xuan Ba¹, Vu Duy Giang² and Le §uc Ngoan¹

Abstract

Due to high biomass yield of 16-18 tons DM/ha/year and high crude protein content (18-25%), mulberry foliage could be a protein supplement source for ruminants. The first experiment was conducted to aim at evaluating of effect of different additives on quality of silage and on dynamic of fermentation during conservation. The second experiment were designed Latin square (5 x 5) with 5 local growing goats with a mean live weight of 17.3kg. The treatments were: (MS 0) natural grass ad libitum (basal diet), (MS 250) Basal diet plus 250g Mulberry Foliage Silage (MFS), (MS 500) Basal diet plus 500 g MFS; (MS 750) Basal diet plus 750 g MFS and (MS adlib.) mulberry foliage silage ad libitum. The second experiment was conducted to aim at determining of effect of different MFS levels in the diets on feed intake, digestibility, and nitrogen retention and N-NH₃ content in the rumen fluid of goats.

The results from the first experiment showed that the mulberry foliage silage was high protein and ash content and the best quality was silos with 5% of molasses. The pH value and the ratio between N-NH₃ and total N were lower in the silos with 5% of molasses compared the others. Making mulberry foliage silage with or without additives could be good methods to conserve foliage as a supplement resource for ruminants.

The results from the second experiment showed that mulberry foliage silage are very high palatability for goats. The feed intake could get 3.02% BW (DM based) or 62.98gDM/kgW^0.75. There were differences in dry matter intake between treatments (P<0.05). There were no differences in DM and OM digestibility between treatments (P>0.05). There were big differences in CP digestibility between treatments. There were regressions between CP digestibility and CP content of ration (R² = 0,586) and between CP digestibility and mulberry foliage silage percentage (R² = 0,585) and between N retention and N intake (R²=0,654). It should not be used 100% of Mulberry foliage silage in the diets of ruminants because of economical and digestibility aspects.