Effect of supplementation of l-lysine and dl- methionine on the utilization of diet containing ensiled cassava leaves as protein source for pigs in central viet nam

Nguyen Thi Hoa Ly

Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry

Hue City, Vietnam

Abstract

Three farmers kept a total 24 pigs all cross breeds between Mong cai and Large White with average live weight 19.58 -20.83 kg. Each farmer was allocated 8 pigs randomly distributed in to four treatments (pens), with two pigs in each pen. The four experiment diets were formulated according to the two growing phases of animals, 20 -50 kg (phase 1) and 50 - 90 kg (phase 2).

The four dietary the pigs fed control diet content 15 % ECL (as DM) with supplementation different amino acids levels in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively, were:

Low AA: Basis diet (The basis diet was compound to have 3026 kcal ME; 14.89 % CP; 0.7 % Lysine; 0.28 % Methionine (phase 1) and 3010 kcal ME and 12.81 % CP; 0.58 % Lysine; 0.24 % methionine for phase 2, respectively).

Medium AA: Basis diet + 0.1 % L - Lysine; 0.05 % DL - Methionine and 0.05 % L- Lysine; 0.03 % DL -Methionine.

High AA: Basis diet + 0.2 % L - Lysine; 0.1 % DL - Methionine and 0.1 % L-Lysine: 0.05 % DL -Methionine.

Very high AA: Basis diet + 0.3 % L - Lysine; 0.15 % DL -Methionine and 0.15 % L-Lysine; 0.08 % DL -Methionine.

The inclusion of increasing the level L- lysine and DL - methionine had significant improved daily live weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio.

Diet using ensiled cassava leaves with supplementation 0.2 % Lysine; 0.1 % DL - Methionine and 0.1 % Lysine; 0.05 % DL - Methionine, gave the highest economical efficiency and can be recommended for crossbred of 20-50 kg and 50 -90 kg, respectively.

The feed cost /kg gain was higher for the Very High AA level because high of L -lysine and DL - methionine level supplemented.

Key word: Ensiled cassava leaves (ECL; amino acid (AA); Lysine, Methionine, daily weight gain, Feed conversion ratio, feed cost

Introduction

In Vietnam, cassava ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the second most important food crop after rice in terms of total production. In 2002 root production is about 3,145 million tonnes (Pham Van Bien, Hoang Kim, Tran Ngoc Ngoan and Reinhardt Howeler, 2003), some of which are used for animal feeding. In 2001/2002 more than 300 thousands ha in which 94,500 ha of new varieties cassava such as: KM60, KM94, KM95, KM 95 -3, KM98 were grown. This corresponds to about 33 % of the total cassava area in the country (Pham Van Bien and et al, 2002). New high -yield cassava varieties usually have high HCN content.

At root harvesting time, fresh leaf yield is about 5 ton/ha (Mui, 1994) and foliage yield of about 7 ton/ha (Ngoan and Duong, 1993). Cassava leaves has high crude protein concentration (from 16.7 - 39.8 %, Allen 1984). In fact, leaves are not used practically for feeding animals. However, cassava leaves contain high crude protein and good source of protein for animals, but high cyanide content

(Buitrago, 1990) and an imbalance of essential amino acids: Lysine, Methionine, (Ngoan, 2001) could limits their use in pigs diet.

The most common procedures for reducing the cyanide content are sun- drying results and ensiling (Wanapat, 2001; Duong Thanh Liem et al 2000; Nguyen Thi Hoa Ly et al 1999, 2000, 2001; Nguyen Thi Loc and et al, 2001, 2003).

Recent research by Nguyen Thi Hoa Ly and Nguyen Thi Loc showed that: Ensiling appears to be the best method of preserving cassava, using ensiling cassava leaf could be replaced a part of fishmeal in diet for pigs with more economic returns. However, the same protein of cassava roots, protein from cassava leaves is low amino acids: Lysine, Methionine. The further researches on using cassava leaf silage for feeding animals are requested.

Elemental L -Lysine as well as Methionine supplementation have been reported to significantly improve protein utilization in pigs (Job, 1975). Portela and Maner (1972) reported that pigs fed diet with 55 % cassava roots meal supplemented by 0.1 5 % DL - Methionine had higher daily weight gains and better feed conversion in comparison with the un-supplemented control or with 0.2 % Methionine.

Besides, in pigs consuming diets containing cassava leaves inadequate amounts of Lysine and Methionine essential amino acids, the serum thiocyanate concentration becomes lower as the animals become unable to adequately detoxify cyanide (O.O. Tewe, 1992). Supplementation DL - Methionine has been reported necessary for the detoxification of cyanide. Preston and Murgueitio (1992) shown that: The low content of most tropical basal diet likely to be used in pigs feeding requires that almost all dietary needs for amino acids must be supplied as an additional to the basal diet.

Based on background, an experiment was carried out to evaluated the effect of synthesis amino acids L- Lysine and DL - methionine supplementation in diet containing ensiled cassava leaves as protein source for pigs. The study aimed is improving the amino acid balance of the diet thus increase the economic efficiency of growing pigs.

Materials and methods

Location

The experiment was carried out in three households in Huong van village, Huong tra District, Thua Thien Hue province from December 2003 to April 2004

Making silage cassava leaves

The fresh cassava leaves were collected before harvesting 2- 3 weeks or when the roots harvested. The cassava leaves were dried under sunlight, chopped into small pieces (2-3 cm) and mixed with 0,5 % salt and 10 % rice bran (fresh basis) put in plastic bags and incubated for 50 -60 days before feeding.

Animals and experimental design and feeding

Three household were selected to carry out the on - farm experiment and raised a total of 24 crossbred (Mong cai x Large White) pigs with average live weight 19.58 -20.83 kg. Each farmer was allocated 8 pigs randomly distributed into four treatments (pens), with two pigs in each pen. The pigs were vaccinated against hog cholera and Pasteurellosis, and de -wormed 2 weeks before starting the experiment. The diets were formulated according to the two growing phases of animals, 20 -50 kg (phase 1) and 50 -90 kg (phase 2). The diets were fed according to a restricted allowance recommended by the National Institute of Animal Husbandry, Vietnam. (2001). The experiment lasted 90 days. The diets were distributed equally into 3 meals per day. Refusals were collected the following morning before the first meal. Drinking water was available ad libitum. The different among treatments are levels L -Lysine and DL - Methionine supplementation.

The four dietary treatments in phase 1 and phase 2, respectively, were:

Low AA: Control diet (basis diet)

Medium AA: Basis diet + 0.1 % L - Lysine; 0.05 % DL - Methionine and 0.05 % L-Lysine; 0.03 DL -Methionine.

High AA: Basis diet + 0.2 % L - Lysine; 0.1 % DL - Methionine and 0.1 % L-Lysine; 0.05 DL -Methionine.

Very high AA: Basis diet + 0.3 % L - Lysine; 0.15 % DL - Methionine and 0.15 % L-Lysine; 0.08 % DL -Methionine. Design of experiments in (table 1).

The control diet (basis diet) consists of rice bran, maize, ensiled cassava root, fishmeal, ensiled cassava leaves. The chemical composition of the feed ingredients was shown in table 2.

The basis diet was compound to have 3026 kcal ME and 14.89 % CP; 0.7 % Lysine and 0.28 % Methionine (phase 1) for phase 2: 3010 kcal ME and 12.81 % CP; 0.58 % Lysine and 0.24 % methionine (as DM), respectively. Source protein supplement in control diets from fishmeal and ensiled cassava leaves in which ensiled cassava leaves contain 15 % (as DM) for two stage growing of pigs (Table 3).

Chemical analyses

The feed stuffs in experimental diets was analyzed for dry mater (DM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF) and HCN (by AOAC, 1984). The analyses were done in the University laboratories.

Table 1: Design of experiment
Parameter	Low AA	Medium AA	High AA	Very high AA
No. of pigs	6	6	6	6
Initial LW (kg)	20.08	20	20.83	19.58
AA levels	Low	Medium	High	Very high
Dietary	Basis diet	Basis diet	Basis diet	Basis diet
Phase 1 ( 20 -50 kg)
L - Lys Sup.(as DM)	-	0.1	0.2	0.3
DL - Met Sup. (as DM)	-	0.05	0.1	0.15
Phase 2 ( 50 - 90 kg)
L - Lys Sup.(as DM	-	0.05	0.1	0.15
DL - Met Sup. (as DM)	-	0.03	0.05	0.08

Table 2 : Chemical composition of the feed ingredients
Ingredients	DM (%)	ME *(kcal/kgDM)	CP in DM( %)	CF in DM( %)	Lys*(g/kg DM)	Met*(g/kg DM)
Rice bran	86.3	2896	11.5	15.6	4.87	2.32
Yellow corn	84.4	3727	9.91	2.84	3.25	2.01
ECR **	41	2925	3.05	3.92	1.1	0.41
ECL**	32.8	2290	20.8	12.8	9.77	3.76
Fish meal	87.5	3520	58.5	-	33.7	10.5
* Calculated.** Analyses at 60 days after ensiling: HCN content in ECR: 69.0 mg/kg DM HCN content in ECL: 162 mg/kg DM

 

Measurement

Feed consumption was determined by weighing the mounts given and subtracting any feed remaining the following morning. The pigs were individually weighed initially, monthly and at slaughter, and daily weight gain, daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and feed cost/kg live weigh gain calculated for each treatment.

The data collected were analyzed by the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure in the ANOVA program of Minitab version 13.

Results and discussion

Final live weight, daily weight gain (DWG), feed in take (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR)

Effect of supplementation L-Lysine and DL - Methionine in diet contain 15 % (as DM) ensiled cassava leaves on performance of growing pigs is shown in table 5 and figure 1. The data indicate that: The final live weight and daily weight gain tended to increase as L -Lysine and DL - Methionine supplementation in diet to the (high AA) level then decreased at the "very high AA" level (figure 1). The final live weight and daily weight gain of pigs at the " high AA" level was significant higher than among those treatments (P < 0.05). Similarly, there was significant higher than in feed intake (P= 0.001) by amino acid supplementation at the " high AA" level. Feed conversion ratio was significant lower than by supplementation amino acid levels in diet (p= 0.001). The feed conversion ratio at the " high AA" level was lower than among those treatments supplemented amino acids.

The present results clearly demonstrate that: increasing level AA in diet of growing pigs had improved DWG and FCR. That was comparable to the results of various authors (Job, 1975; Portela and Maner, 1972; Nguyen Thi Loc, 2003;) who reported that supplementation level methionine % in diet had improved pigs production.

Figure 1: Effect of increasing levels of supplementary L-Lysine and DL - Methionine on growth rate of growing pigs fed diet with 15 % (DM) of ensiled cassava leaves

 

Feed cost

The data in table 5 and figure 2 is also shown that: feed cost/kg gain for the " high AA" level treatment were lower than among those treatments but this parameter for " Very high AA" treatment was highest due to the high level AA supplementation.

Diet with supplementation 0.2 % Lysine; 0.1 % DL - Methionine and 0.1 % Lysine; 0.05 % DL - Methionine in the growing and finishing phases, respectively thus gave the highest economical efficiency and can be recommended for F1 (MC x LW) growing pigs when diet using high level ensiled cassava leaves.

Figure 2: Effect of increasing levels of supplementary L-Lysine and DL - Methionine on feed cost of growing pigs fed diet with 15 % (DM) of ensiled cassava leaves

Similar finding were reported by Nguyen Thi Loc 2003 who also reported: supplementation DL - methionine 0.2 % level in ensiled cassava roots - based diets of F1 (MC x LW) fattening pigs had improved live weight gain, daily gain, feed conversion ratio and feed cost. Author had recommended that should be used a level 0.2 % DL -methionine in diet with high levels ensiled cassava roots for F1 (MC x LW) fattening pigs.

Conclusions

supplementation to a maximum on the diet with the 0.2 % L-lysine and 0.1 % DL - Methionine for pigs at (20 -50 kg) and 0.1 % L-lysine and 0.05 % DL - Methionine at (50 -90 kg), respectively, above which it decreased.

• Diet using ensiled cassava leaves with supplementation 0.2 % Lysine; 0.1 % DL - Methionine and 0.1 % Lysine; 0.05 % DL - Methionine, gave the highest economical efficiency and can be recommended for crossbred of 20-50 kg and 50 -90 kg, respectively.

• Ensiled cassava leaves can be used as a protein supplement source for feeding pigs.

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