Effect of different protein levels derived from mixtures of water spinach and fresh sweet potato vines in basal diets of broken rice or cassava root meal and rice bran for growing pigs

Thim Sokha, T R Preston^* and  Khieu Borin^**

Royal University of Agriculture, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Sokha_rua@yahho.com
^* TOSOLY-UTA,  AA #48, Socorro, Santander, Colombia
** CelAgrid, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Thirty two crossbred pigs (mean initial weight 11.33 kg) were housed in individual pens and allocated to 8 treatments according to a 2*4 factorial arrangement. The factors were two sources of energy: broken rice compared with cassava root meal mixed with rice bran; and four levels of crude protein (10, 12, 14 and 16% in dry matter (DM)). The source of supplementary crude protein was a mixture (50:50 as DM) of water spinach with sweet potato vines. The duration of the experiment was 150 days, from July 02 to December 02, 2006.

There were curvilinear relationships between dietary crude protein concentration and live weight gain and feed conversion with the optimum point at 14% crude protein in the diet DM. Growth rates were the same but feed conversion was better when the energy source was broken rice rather than cassava root meal and rice bean. Growth rates and feed conversion improved with time on the experiment.

Key words: Broken rice, cassava root meal, feed conversion, growth rate, pigs, rice bran, sweet potato vines, water spinach

***************************

Abstract 67