Potential values of some non-leguminous browse plants as dry season feed for ruminants in Nigeria

A study was conducted to assess the nutritive potential of some tropical non-leguminous multipurpose trees: Bombax glabra, Adansonia digitata, Ceiba pentandra, Kigelia africana, Newbouldia leavis, Treculia africana, Milicia exselsa, Mangifera indica, Spondia mombin, Terminalia superba, Terminalia catappa, Tabebuia rosea and Ficus thonningii. A wide variation was observed in the chemical composition, secondary compounds and gas production characteristics. Crude protein (CP) concentration ranged from 6.35 – 16.41 g/100g DM. The ash content varied between 5.27 and 12.46g/100g DM. The content of neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and lignin ranged from 40.49 - 69.31, 28.39 - 52.62 and 6.14 - 16.83 g/100g DM, respectively. At least each possessed steroid as anti-nutrient as revealed from the study. It was observed that five browse species had tannins while eight showed traces of saponin. The degradability of the browse spp can be grouped into 3: High fermentation (> 20.00 ml) for S. mombin, B. glabra, A. digitata, C. pentandra, K. africana and M. exselsa; moderate fermentation (17.00 - 19.00 ml) for T. superba, T. catappa, T. rosea, F. thonningii, T. Africana and M. indica; low fermentation (< 16) was observed in N. leavis. The highest potential gasproduction, rate of gas production, metabolizable energy and short chain fatty acid were observed in S. mombin. From the result obtained, it is suggested that some of the browse species could be utilized by ruminants as feed supplement during both wet and dry seasons. S. mombin being high in gas production could be supplemented with energy rich feed like guinea grass in order to sustain livestock production

An electrophoretic study of protein diversity in five species of land snails (Achatinidae) from Nigeria

The protein profile of five species of achatinid snails (Archachatina marginata (Swainson, 1821), Achatina achatina (Linnaeus, 1758), Achatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822), Archachatina papyracea (Pfeiffer, 1845) and an unidentified snail species) from some parts of southern and north-central states of Nigeria was used to examine the level of genetic similarity between them and also to show whether the eight populations of Archachatina marginata studied contained sub-populations. Each of the species examined was found to have unique protein bands while the protein banding patterns of the eight populations of A. marginata showed six of the populations being taxonomically distinct because they had unique protein bands. The cluster analysis of the A. marginata samples produced two sub-species which showed geographical separation of the species. This may depict a relationship between total protein and ecological adaptation. However, there was better resolution of the protein band patterns using relative mobility of bands. The presence of common bands among the species and the eight populations of A. marginata may depict an evidence of evolutionary origin of the species studied. © 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Achatina spp., Archachatina spp., protein, electrophoresis, taxonomy

Assessment of the Potential Value of Twelve Browse Legume Trees Using In Vitro Gas Production and Coefficient of Preference Technique

Twelve tropical multipurpose browse plants were evaluated for their chemical composition, metabolizable energy (ME), organic matter digestibility (OMD), in vitro gas production characteristics and preference by the West Africa Dwarf (WAD) goats using cafeteria method. The crude protein content of the legumes ranged from 9.79 to 29.53 g/100 g DM and varied significantly (P< 0.05). Ether extract varied widely ranging from 6.0-13.1 g/100 g DM. The total gas produced at the end of 24 hrs of fermentation varied between 13.67 to 20.83 ml per 200 mg per DM. In-vitro characteristic parameters also varied significantly amongst the legumes. Initial gas (a) produced ranged from 0.00 to 4.67 ml, insoluble but degradable fraction (b) varied from 14.66 to 23.00 ml while a+b which is the potential degradability varied from 13.67 to 24.00 ml. Methane production ranged between 8.33 and 13.83 ml. Also, metabolizable energy (ME), organic matter digestibility (OMD) and short chain fatty acid of the forages varied from 4.81 to 6.58, 37.20 to 52.09 and 0.27 to 0.57 respectively. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL) varied significantly (P< 0.05), ranging from 41.82 to 65.55 g/100 g DM, 26.72 to 49.38 g/100 g DM, and 6.05 to 13.72 g/100 g DM respectively. The ash content of the plant species also varied significantly (P< 0.05), ranging from 5.14 in Albizia odoratissima to 8.93 g/100 g DM in Cassia fistulosa. A wide range of preference was observed, as Leucaena leucocephala was most preferred. The results showed that these browse species are potential sources of nutrients for ruminants as dry season basal forage