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Study on use of Alocasia macrorrhiza (roots and leaves) in the diets for crossbred growing pigs under mountainous village condition in north Vietnam.

Pham Sy Tiep, Nguyen Van Luc, Trinh Quang Tuyen, Nguyen Manh Hung, Tran Van Tu

NIAH, Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

A locasia macrorrhiza as the cheeps local available resources in Vietnam Northern mountainous area. The whole alocasia macrorrhiza roots have rich starch and the leaves are rich in protein and vitamins. Efficiently use alocasia macrorrhiza roots and leaves as the cheap local available resources for pigs feed still a necessary problem on pig husbandry in Vietnam mountainous households condition today. Two experiments were carried out in Cho Chu village, Dinh hoa district, Thai nguyen province with the aims at determine the best ratio of alocasia macrorrhiza roots and ensiled leaves in the diet for growing pigs and determine the economical efficiency of using alocasia macrorrhiza for pigs raising in mountainous households.

Three levels of 5 - 7 -10 % of rice bran with 2% molasses (on the DM) additive in an mixture for ensiling alocasia macrorrhiza leaves to choose the best ensiled alocasia macrorrhiza leaves for pigs feed. On the second experiment, eighteen crossbred pigs (Yorkshire x Mong cai) with an initial body weight of 15.0 ± 1.0 kg were divided into 3 groups. The basic diet (BsD) for control group, protein was supplied by soybean meal and fishmeal and the other diets (EAL10; EAL15) ensiled alocasia macrorrhiza leaves were included as the sole protein sources with 10 - 15% in the dry feed of ration.

The results of study concluded that, ensiling alocasia macrorrhiza leaves with 7% rice bran and 2% molasses can reject 78.8% oxalate calcium content, maintain the pH at 4.05-4.12 until 60th day, increase the taste, without reducing nutritive value of the silage. And using 10% ensiled alocasia macrorrhiza leaves (replacing fish and soybean meal) with 45% alocasia macrorrhiza root meal in the diet for (Yorkshire x Mong cai) crossbred pigs had no negative effects on the performance of the pigs and got higher benefits for the farmers under mountainous villages in Northern Vietnam.