Investigations on the nutritive value and practical ways of feeding cassava roots to pigs

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Date

1990

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Publisher

Sokoine University Of Agriculture

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the feeding value of cassava roots in four growth and two metabolic experiments. In the growth studies, feed was offered ad libitum except protein supplement to pigs fed fresh cassava tubers. The pigs were group fecjLand slaughtered as they reached 90 kg liveweight. characteristics and organ weights were determined. Carcass Cassava had no significant effect on growth rate, organ weights, gut fill or carcass characteristics. In experiment 3 and 4, a comparison was made of commercial sow and weaner (SW) meal. the cassava root meal (CRM) diet, soaked cassava root tubers (CRT) diet and rice polishings (RP) diet. The average daily gains were 625 g, 635 g, 609g and 660 g. and feed conversion ratios (kg EM feed/kg gain) 4.44, 4.19, 4.05 and 3.89 for the SW diet, CRM diet, CRT diet and RP diet. respectively. The average daily feed intake (kg dry matter) was 2.58kg, 2.55 kg, and 2.47 kg for pigs fed the SW diet, CRM diet CRT diet and RP diet, respectively. Pigs fed soaked cassava root tubers consumed 3.5 kg cassava/pig/day and required 406 kg cassava tubers and 152 kg protein supplement form 20 to 90 kg liveweight. In experiment 5, cassava root meal and cassava root tubers were again compared with cottonseed cake as the main protein source or a combination of cottonseed cake and sunflower rake. Daily gains feed intake and feed conversion ratio (kg EM/kg gain) were .551 g, 638 g, and 589 g, 1.87 kg, 2.10 kg, and 2.03 kg, and 3.45, 3.36 and 3.56 cottonseed cake, respectively. for CRT + sunflower cake diets, CRM CRM + cottonseed cake + sunflower cake diets Pigs fed fresh cassava root tubers consumed 2.97 kg cassava/pig/day and required 383 kg cassava and 112 kg protein supplement from 20 to 90 kg liveweight. Experiment 6 was designed to examine the voluntary feed intake, growth rate and feed conversion of pigs fed a diet considered as a standard cassava diet (2/3 cassava, 1/3 protein giving a 15% CP diet) under Tanzania conditions. Feed intake was about 30% higher in the ad lib, fed barrows than in the ad lib. fed gilts and restricted barrows and gilts, while growth rate was about 23% higher. It is concluded that cassava is a good energy source for pigs, and where it is relatively cheap and abundant, it could be used as the only energy source in diets of growing-finishing pigs and cottonseed cake could form the major part of the protein supplement.

Description

PhD Thesis

Keywords

Feeding cassava roots, Pigs Cassava roots, Pig diets

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