Nutrient and Anti-Nutritional Composition of Crop Residues and Kitchen Wastes Fed to Small Ruminants in Choba, Port Harcourt

Fattening has been defined as intensive feeding of highly nutritious feed to and promotes fast growth and fat deposition to achieve desired carcass growth and quality. The main strategy is to fatten young, lean male goat to obtain either from the farmer’s own flock or more often, purchased on the open market over a period of two to three months, with each farmer fattening between one and five animals. The goats are usually tethered or kept in a small sheltered enclosure at the homestead, and often fed and watered individually. Basal feeds used for goat fattening, such as hay and millet straw are supplemented with cowpea haulms, maize bran, rice bran and coconut flour which is derived from the crop residues. Poor nutrition is a major constraint in fattening small ruminants in Nigeria, this is because farmers often give the animals whatever is available, leading to waste when feed availability is high, and underfeeding when it is low (feed availability). Fattening of small ruminants as a business is very common in Nigeria. Small ruminants are usually reproduced on the farms or houses and are sold around festivities. (Christmas and Sallah) or when cash is required. No special efforts, other than grazing the animals, are made by many smallholder farmers and pastoralists to ‘’fatten’’ them. A similar situation exists for fattening of large ruminants (bulls) as a business. Most farmers in Nigeria sell their bulls once they have been introduced to ‘’fatten’’ these animals commercially. Goats are able to subsist and make appreciable gains in long dry season with crop residue-based diets that compare favourably with conventional concentrate rations. Some of the crop residues and by-products available are potentially good feed resources which degrade readily in the rumen, some however, have shown poor degradability and hence, require some treatments before they can contribute to animal nutrition.

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Experiences from the Implementation of Community-Based Goat Breeding Programs in Malawi and Uganda: A Potential Approach for Conservation and Improvement of Indigenous Small Ruminants in Smallholder Farms

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031494 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1494

Author(s):

Wilson Kaumbata ◽

Helen Nakimbugwe ◽

Wilson Nandolo ◽

Liveness Jessica Banda ◽

Gábor Mészáros ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crop Residues ◽

Small Ruminant ◽

Small Ruminants ◽

Fair Trading ◽

Policy Reforms ◽

Community Based ◽

Pasture Production ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

Smallholder Farms ◽

Potential Approach

Maintaining diversity of small ruminant genetic resources is instrumental for sustainable agricultural production. Community-based livestock breeding programs (CBBPs) have emerged as a potential approach to implement breeding programs in smallholder farms. This study assesses the viability of CBBPs as a potential approach for conservation and improvement of indigenous small ruminants, using case studies of goat CBBPs in Malawi and Uganda. Data were collected using focus group discussions, personal interviews, and direct observations. The program promotes and empowers smallholders to have access to small ruminant feed resources through protection of existing communal pasturelands, capacity building in pasture production, and conservation of crop residues and crop by-products. Implementation of the CBBP enhances the contributions through improved animal growth performance, kids’ survival, and twinning rates leading to increased offtake rates and better prices. The existence of permanently established supporting organizations and other stakeholders provides sustainable institutional support instrumental for the establishment and growth of CBBPs. However, establishment of functional community-based institutions (producer cooperatives) and investments in institutional/policy reforms to safeguard fair trading, access to common resources by small ruminant keepers, and adoption of the CBBP model into national livestock development programs are some of the key milestones that can guarantee sustainability.

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MOROCCAN STRAWBERRY TREE (Arbutus Unedo L.) LEAVES: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION

Journal of Experimental Biology and Agricultural Sciences ◽

10.18006/2021.9(6).734.744 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 734-744

Author(s):

Zakaria Ait Lhaj ◽

Farida Ait Lhaj ◽

Khalid Taghzouti ◽

Younes Abbas ◽

Fatima Gaboun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mineral Composition ◽

Small Ruminants ◽

Genetic Effect ◽

Dry Weight ◽

Nutritional Composition ◽

Arbutus Unedo ◽

Livestock Feed ◽

Strawberry Tree ◽

Tall Shrub ◽

Potential Use

Strawberry tree (Arbutus Unedo L.) is one of the evergreen trees that grow spontaneously in Moroccan forests. This tall shrub is traditionally used in grazing zones of some Moroccan areas, especially during the dry season, but its value in Morocco has still been underestimated. In this paper, the nutritional composition of A. unedo leaves sample collected from seven Moroccan regions has been assessed. For this, the leaves were dried, crushed, and chemically analyzed for their proximate composition, energetic value, total and reducing sugar, and mineral composition. Results of this study suggested that samples from BniAarouse (BA) region showed the highest contents of essential nutrients such as proteins, dietary fiber, ashes, and fat with average values of 7.53, 17.89, 4.14, and 8.05 g/ 100 g of dry weight, respectively, which positively influences its consumption by small ruminants. Cluster analysis based on surveyed parameters separated the strawberries individuals into four distinct groups, providing a high variability among and within studied locations. That could be related to the diversity of the edaphoclimatic conditions between regions and to the genetic effect. The results of the present study highlighted the potential use of leaves as livestock feed, with intermediate quality, and promotes their optimal cultivation and subsequent domestication in Morocco.

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Utilization of sunflower crop residues as feed in small ruminants

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences ◽

10.5713/ajas.1998.272 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 272-276

Author(s):

Ejaz Rasool ◽

M. F. Khan ◽

M. Nawaz ◽

M. Rafiq

Keyword(s):

Crop Residues ◽

Small Ruminants ◽

Sunflower Crop

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Nutritional Composition of ‘Aju Mbaise’ Herbal Cocktail

Asian Journal of Research in Biochemistry ◽

10.9734/ajrb/2020/v7i230136 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 30-37

Author(s):

T. A. Nnadiukwu ◽

C. C. Monago- Ighorodje ◽

L. C. Chuku

Keyword(s):

Crude Protein ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Good Health ◽

Proximate Analysis ◽

Nutritional Composition ◽

High Concentration ◽

Port Harcourt ◽

Calcium Magnesium ◽

Xylopia Aethiopica ◽

Sodium Zinc

This study was carried out to evaluate the nutritional content of ‘Aju Mbaise’ herbal mixture. The experiment involves the collection of fresh plant samples that make up ‘Aju Mbaise’ cocktail. The study was done in the Research Laboratory of the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The plants samples were collected from Mbaise locality in Imo State, Nigeria, and were identified as Cnestis ferruginea, Xylopia aethiopica, Uvaria chamae, Palisota hirsuta, Scleria sp., Napoleona imperialis, Dialium guineense, Combretum racemosun, and Heterotis rotundifolia respectively. The dietary, mineral, and vitamin compositions were determined accordingly. The proximate, vitamin, and mineral composition of the herbal cocktail were investigated in line with their standard methods of analysis. The proximate analysis revealed that the cocktail extract contains carbohydrate (69.51%), crude protein (10.05%), moisture (8.89%), crude fat (5.17%), fibre (3.745), and ash content (2.65%). The vitamin analysis revealed reasonable concentration of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, D, and K. The mineral evaluation showed high concentration of calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, and iron. This study revealed high nutritional value of ‘Aju Mbaise’ herbal cocktail which is responsible for the plant’s usefulness in the management, treatment, as well as maintenance of good health.

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Proximate and Mineral Elements Composition of Three Forest Fruits Sold in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management ◽

10.4314/jasem.v24i11.9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 24 (11) ◽

pp. 1899-1908

Author(s):

AT Oladele ◽

EAU Ofodile ◽

BT Udi ◽

GO Alade

Keyword(s):

Heavy Metals ◽

Trace Metals ◽

Mineral Elements ◽

Nutritional Composition ◽

Human Consumption ◽

High Concentration ◽

Fruit Species ◽

Port Harcourt ◽

Excessive Consumption ◽

Healthy Growth

This study aimed to assess the nutritional and trace elements composition of selected forest fruits sold for human consumption in Port Harcourt. Fruit contamination by heavy metals is an issue of global concern. Nondegradable elements bioaccumulations in tissues and organs have deleterious effects in man. Three (3) Agroforestry fruits species; (Spondias cytherea L. (Anacardiaceae), Syzygium malaccense (L.) Merr. & L. M. Perry Myrtaceae and Cola pachycarpa K. Schum. Malvaceae) were purposefully selected and sourced from three strategically located markets namely; Oil mill, Choba and D/line fruit markets. The fruit species were procured and washed with distilled water and the edible parts extracted, chopped and sun dried properly. The nutritional composition was analyzed using 18th edition of the Association of Official Analytical Chemist while trace metals were analysed using PIXE Accelerator. Spondias cytherea yielded high percentage of crude Protein (8.373±0.1) and Fibre content (11.73±0.03), while Syzygium malaccense was rich in Fat (7.17±0.02) and Ash (4.17±0.04). Moisture content was highest in Cola parchycarpa (12.63±0.05). PIXE Accelerator analysis revealed that the fruits contain high concentration of trace metals; S. malaccense contained Mg (1170±237.0ppm), Si (60.02±68.95ppm), Al (14.89±7.71ppm), Fe (10. 60±4.11ppm), Rb (3.20±0.00ppm) and Ti (1.82±0.00ppm). C. parchycarpa had Zn (6.22±11.80ppm), Cr (1.60±0.75 ppm), Mn (0. 71±0.87ppm) and Cu (0.38±0.33ppm). Ni (0.16 ppm) was found only in S. cytherea fruit. The forest fruits are rich in nutrients vital for healthy growth but the level of heavy metals (Mg, Al. Cr, Fe and Zn) in each of the fruits were above WHO/FAO permissible limit, therefore excessive consumption on a daily/weekly routine should be avoided. Keywords: Forest fruits, proximate, heavy metals, human health

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