Role of Browse Tree Legumes as Dietary Supplements for Ruminants: A Review

  • Yusuf, A. Department of Animal Science, Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina, Nigeria
  • Shehu, B.
  • Murtala, U.
Keywords: Browse, Ruminant Feeding, Crop Residue, Nutrient Digestibility, Performance, voluntary intake

Abstract

The leaves and soft stems of leguminous trees are important in ruminant nutrition.  Browse include fruits and pods of trees and shrubs.  Browse spans from temperate to tropical areas of the world, particularly in areas prone to drought.  A variety of feed resources exist throughout the tropics, especially the humid regions These include a variety of forages and abundant supplies of crop residues, agro-industrial byproducts and also non-conventional feed resources.  Among these, approximately 50-60% of the feeds produced are bulky roughages.  The advantages of the use of tree and shrub forages as animal feeds include availability on the farm, accessibility, provision of variety of diets and source of dietary nitrogen, energy, minerals and vitamins.  Others include laxative influence on the alimentary system, reduction in requirement for purchased concentrates and reduced feeding cost. The contribution of browse to the livestock diet varies with the nature of the ecosystem; in less favourable environments, the grazing season for vegetation is short, and the contribution of native fodder shrub to the animal’s diet is very high and may exceed 70%.  However, in more favourable areas, they are used on seasonal basis.  This review mainly focuses on the different types of browse tree legumes and their utilization as supplemental diets for ruminants especially during dry season.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdulrazak, S. A., Mutinga, R. W. Thorpe, W. and Orskov., E. R. (1996). The effects of supplements with Gliricidia sepium and Leucaena leucocephala forage on intake, digestion and liveweight gain of Bos taurus vs Bos indicus steers offered napier grass. Anim. Sci., 63: 381-388. 51: 131 – 136.
Abebe, G. (2011). Effect of Supplementation with Graded Levels of Concentrate Mix on Intake, Digestibility, Body Weight Change, Carcass Characteristics and Presented Economic Benefit of Arsi – Bale Sheep Fed Urea Treated Barley Straw. M.Sc. Thesis School of Graduate Studies of Haramaya, University.
Abubakar, M. (2008). Nutrient Intake, Digestibility, Growth Performance and Rumen Studies in Weaner Yankasa Sheep fed Different Nitrogen Sources. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Nigeria. Pp. 260.
Ahn (1990). Tree Legumes as Dietary Supplements for Ruminants; Leguminous Trees assupplements to Low Quality Forage. Pp.6
Aregheore, E. M. (2004). Nutritive Value of Sweet Potato (Ipomea batatas Lam) Forage as Goat Feed:Voluntary Intake, Growth and Digestibility of Mixed Rations of Sweet Potato and Batiki Grass (Ischaemum aristatum Variety Indicum). Small Ruminant Research 51 (3):235-241.
Aruwayo, A. and Maigandi. S. A. (2013). Neem (Azadirachta indica) Seed Cake/Kernel as Protein Source in Ruminants Feed. Journal of Experimental Agriculture 3 (3): 482-494
Aufrere, J., Guerin, H., Molenat, G., Chenost, M. Hubert, D., Gouy, J. (1995). Critical review of chemical and enzymatic methods for the estimation of nutritive value in roughages. Proceedings of the satellite symposiums of the IV international symposium on the nutrition of herbivores, Montpellier, France,
AU-IBAR, (2015). The livestock development strategy for Africa 2015-2035. Nairobi, Kenyahttps://rrafrica.oje.int/wp_content//uploads/2015/02/ibar:pdf

Bamualim, A., Weston, R. H., Hogan, J. P. and Murray, R. M. (1984a). The contributions ofLeucaena leucocephala to post-ruminal digestible protein for sheep fed tropical pasture hay supplemented with urea and minerals. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 15:255-258
Benavides, J. 1991. Integración de arboles y arbustos en los sistemas de alimentación para carbras en America Central. Un enfoque agroforestal, El Chasqui. Tropical Agricultural Research and Training Center. Turrialba, Costa Rica.pp. 6–36.

Benavides, J. and Pezo, D. 1986. Evaluación del crecimiento y consumo de materia seca encorderos alimentados con follaje de poró (E. poeppigiana)ad lib suplementadas con distintas fuentes de energía. In: Resumen de las investigaciones realizadas con ruminates menores en el proyecto de sistemas de producción animal. Tropical Agricultural Research and Training Center (CATIE), Turrialba, Costa Rica. Informe Tecnico No. 67: 43–47.

Bogoro, S., Adegbola, T. A., Adamu, A. M., Alhassan, W. S and Umunna, N. N. (2002). Feeding Responses and Stoichiometric Implications of Urea-Treated Sorghum Stover Diets fed to Yankasa Rams. Journal of Pure and Applied Science, 4 (1): 37 – 47.
CATIE (1991). Turrialba, Costa Rica/Nitrogen Fixing Tree Association. Pp. 212 - 216

Chowdhury, A. R., Banerji, R., Misra, G. and Nigam, S. K. (1983). Chemical composition of Acacia seeds. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 60: 1893–1894.

Davison, S. (1987) Adopting leucaena - achievement and a new problem. Rural Research 134:22-27.
Degen, A. A., Mishorr, T., Makkar, H. P. S., Kam, M., Benjamin, R.W., Becker, K., Schwartz, H. J., (1998). Effect of Acacia sailgna with and without administration of polyethylene glycol on dietary intake in desert sheep. Anim Sci. 67: 491-498.
Dicko, M. S. and L. K. Sikena (1992a). Fodder trees and shrubs in range and farming systems in dry tropical Africa. In: a speedy and Pierre Luc Pugliese (eds). Legume trees and other fodder trees as protein sources for livestock. Proceedings of the FAO Expert consultation held at Malaysian Agricultural. Resources. and Development. Institute (MARDI), 14- 18th October, 1991. FAO Animal Production and Health Paper 102.
D'Mello, J. P. F. (1992). Chemical constraints to the use of tropical legumes in animal nutrition, Anim Feed. Sci. Technol., 38:237-261.
Fassler, O. M., Lascano, C. E. (1995) The effect of mixtures of sun-dried tropical shrub legumes on intake and nitrogen balance by sheep, Tropical Grasslands, 29, 92- 96.
Hadgu, K M, Kooistra L, Rossing W A, van Bruggen A H (2009). Assessing the effect of Faidherbia albida based land use systems onbarley yield at field and regional scale in the highlands of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Food Security 1(3):337-350.

Hassan, L. G. (2007). Nutritional Evaluation of Faidherbia albida seeds and pulp as source of feeds for livestock. African Journal of Food Agriculture, Nutrition and Food Development 7(5):24-31
Hegarty, M. P., Court, R. D., Christie, G. S. and Lee, C. P. (1976). Mimosine in Leucaena leucocephala metabolised to a goitrogen in ruminants. Australian Veterinary Journal 52:490-496.
ILRI (1994). Toxin-degrading microbes release multi-purpose tree feed potential, Building a Global Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Jones, R. M. and Jones, RJ. (1984) The effect of Leucaena leucocephala on liveweight gain, thyroid size and thyroxine levels of steers in southeastern Queensland. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 24:4-9.
Jones, R.J. (1979) The value of Leucaena leucocephala as a feed for ruminants in the tropics. World Animal Review 31, 13-23.
Ken, G. (1982). Opening Address, by the Honorable Minister of State for Agriculture.

Lakpini, C. A. M. (2002). Feeds and Feeding Strategies for Small Ruminants in Various Physiological States. A Paper Presented at the Small Ruminant Production Training Workshop Held at (NAPRI) National Animal Production Research Institute, ABU, Zaria. Pp.40-47.
Lebbie, S. H. B. (2004). Goats under Household Conditions. Small Ruminant Research,

Leng, R. A. (1997). Tree foliage in ruminant nutrition. FAO Animal Production and Health Paper No.139, Rome, Italy.
Lowry, J. B. (1989) Agronomy and forage quality of Albizia lebbeck in the semi-arid tropics. Tropical Grasslands 23:84-91.
Lowry, J. B., Schlink, A. C. and Hoffman, D. (1992) Evaluation of three tropical legumes in diets for growing rabbits. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Science 5:257-259.
Makkar, H. P. S. (2000). Some recent developments in the evaluation and utilization of unconventional feed resources. Third Asian Buffalo Congress, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Makkar, H. P. S., Singh, B., Effect of storage and urea addition on detannification and in sacco dry matter digestibility of mature oak {Quercus incand) leaves. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 41:247-259.
Mazinari, M. and Brian Rude, B. (2020). Population, world production and quality of sheep and goat products. American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences 15 (4): 291 – 299.

Meissner, H. H., Paulsmeier, D. V. (1995). Plant compositional constituents affecting between-plant and animal species prediction of forage intake. J. Anim. Sci, 73:2447-2457.
Mijinyawa, A., Abubakar, M., Kalla, D. J. U., and Yerima, J. (2020, March). Performance of Yankasa Rams fed Treated and Untreated Sorghum Stover with Different Supplements. Proceedings of 45th Conference, NSAP, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria. Pp. 1853 – 1858.
Mubi, A. (2003). The effect of supplementing legume crop residue with Faidherbia albida pods for Goat feeding in the North-East Nigeria. J. Agric. Res. and Dev. 2: 25-31.

Muhammad, I. R. (2019). Forage and Fodder Production in Nigeria: Its sensitivity to sustainable ranching. Bayero University, Kano. Professorial inaugural lecture no. 36.

Munoz, F., Joy, M., Andueza, J. D. and Alibex, X. (1998). Chemical Treatment of Maize Stover with Urea. In: Antongiavanni, M. (Ed.). Exploitation of Mediterranean and Byproducts. Zaragoza: CIHEAM, pp.33-38.
Nochebuena, G. and O'Donovan, P.B. (1986) The nutritional value of high-protein forage from Gliricidia sepium. World Animal Review 57:48-49.
Norton, B. W., Kamau, F. K. and Rosevear, R. (1992) The nutritive value of some tree legumes as supplements and sole feed for goats. In: Reodecha, C., Sangid, S. and Bunyavetchewin, P.(eds), Recent advances in animal production, Proceedings of the Sixth AAAP Animal Science Congress, 23-28 November 1992. Sukothai Thammathirat Open University, Thailand, Volume III, p. 151.
Otchere, E. O., Dadie, C. B. M., Erbynn, K. G. and Adebo, D. A. (1977). Response of Sheep to Rice Straw or Cassava Peels Fortifed with Urea and Molasses as Supplemental Feed to Grazing. Ghana Journal of Agricultural Science,10:61-69
Pineiro, V. A. (2010). Consumo voluntario y digestibilad de raciones con incorporacion de lavaina integral de Enterolobium myclocarpum jacq. Griseb. Enovinos. Tesis de Yucatan, Mestria. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia. Universidad Autonoma de Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. 47pp.
Raaflaub, M. and Lascano, C. E. (1995). The effect of wilting and drying on intake rate and acceptability by sheep of the shrub legume cratylia argentea, Tropical Grasslands 29:97-101.
Reed, J. D. (1986), Relationships among soluble phenolics, insoluble proanthocyanidins and fibre in East African browse species, Journal of Range Management 39:5-7.

Rimi, (1992). Nigerian national livestock resource survey (IV). Report by resource inventory and management limited (RIM) to FDL and PCS, Abuja, Nigeria

Rosenthal, G. A. and Janzen, D. H. (1979) Herbivores - their Interaction with Secondary Plant Metabolites. Academic Press, New York.
Ross, J. H., (1977). A Conspectus of the African Acacia Species. Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 44
Schlink, A. C., Lowry, J. B. and Gibson, D. S. (1991) Products from the tree legume Albizia lebbeck as supplements for sheep in the dry tropics. Proceedings of Australian Society of Animal Production.
Shehu M. C., Kialegee, O. O and Edokpa, D. A. (2013). How biotechnology can boost livestock production: Agricultural Production, Food and Nutrition Security in Rural Nigeria. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development 13(5):.

Wickens, G. E. (1969). A study of Faidherbia albida Del. (Mimosoideae). Kew Bulletin 23(2):181-202.

Yusuf (2021). Nutritional Studies in growing Yankasa rams fed millet stover based diets with supplementation. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Bayero University Kano, Nigeria. Pp. 120.
Zemmenlink, G. (1999). Utilization of poor quality roughages in Northern Guinea savanna Zone. A paper presented at the proceeding of the International symposium on Animal production in the topics held at University of Ibadan 26 –29th March, 1973. Edited by J. K. Loosli, V.A. Oyenuga and G.M. Babatunde (1999), Printed by Heinaman Educational Book Nigeria PLc. Ibadan Nigeria.
Published
2023-08-12
How to Cite
Yusuf, A., Shehu, B., & Murtala, U. (2023). Role of Browse Tree Legumes as Dietary Supplements for Ruminants: A Review. Nigerian Journal of Animal Science and Technology (NJAST), 6(2), 144 - 155. Retrieved from https://njast.com.ng/index.php/home/article/view/266