|
Matching Livestock Systems with Available Resources |
MEKARN Regional Conference 2007 |
Giant taro (Alocasia macrorrhiza), a kind of wild tree, grows on the slopes of mountains and is sometimes planted in the gardens around the houses in the mountainous area. For a long time, the ethnic minority groups of people in northern mountainous areas have used the Alocasia leaves (AL) for feeding to pigs. However, the level of AL in the ration was very limited because they had to spend too much time in cooking in order to destroy the calcium oxalate.
Three experiments were carried out in Cho Chu village, Dinh hoa district, Thai Nguyen province with the aims of determining the best ensiling method for AL and the best rate of using the ensiled AL in the diet for Mong Cai sows and growing pigs in mountainous households condition. In experiment 1, six treatments were compared, corresponding to 3 species of Alocasia macrorrhiza, each ensiled with 4% rice bran or 4% molasses. Each treatment was replicated 4 times to facilitate analysis after 0, 7, 14 and 21 days of ensiling. In experiment 2, there were 10 dry Mong Cai sows with similar age and body weight randomly allocated into 5 households. In each household there were 2 sows which were kept individually in pens. One of them was fed the control diet; the other was fed the experimental diet (EAL). The duration of the experiment was 155 days. In the third experiment,: sixteen crossbred F1 (Y x MC) growing pigs (equal numbers male and female) from the sows in experiment 2 with average initial body weight of 15 ± 1.0 kg were allocated at random, balanced for sex, to 2 households with 8 pigs in each. In each household, the pigs were housed in 4 separate pens, each with 2 pigs (1 castrated male + 1 female). The EAL was prepared as in experiment 1. The diets contained ensiled Alocacia leaves at 0, 10, 20 and 30% of the diet DM.
There were no differences in pH and nutritive quality among the three species of Alocasia macrorrhiza leaves after ensiling with 4% rice bran or 4% molasses. After ensiling, the calcium oxalate was reduced by 69.1 to 78.5% and the pH maintain ed at 4.10 to 4.22 until 21st day, There were no negative effects on the performance of the pigs and benefits for the farmers were higher using 18 to 25% of EAL for MC sows and 20% EAL (replacing fish and soybean meal) for crossbred (Y x MC) growing pigs.