Variation of the chemical composition of four forage shrubs (Albizia lebbeck, Leucaena leucocephala, Morinda lucida and Senna siamea) in dry season in southeast of Gabon

Objective: This study is conducted, to know the chemical composition at different periods of the dry season, of four major fodder shrubs (Albizia lebbeck, Leucaena leucocephala, Morinda lucida and Senna siamea), used to supplement poor fodders in animal feed, in the conditions of southeast Gabon.Methodology and results: The leaves of each species were harvested at the beginning, at mid-season and at the end of dry season. They were dried and crushed to determine their chemical composition. The results showed that, with A. lebbeck, the levels of DM obtained at mid-season and the end that one, were higher (P<0.05) than at the first harvest. The levels of DM and CP obtained at mid-season and the end of dry season, with L. leucocephala were higher (p<0.05) than those observed at beginning. Variations of DM and CP levels of M. lucida leaves and DM content of S. siamea leaves were not significant (p>0.05). In addition, catechic tannins were not found in the leaves of S. siamea. However, the variations of this tannins type, observed in the leaves of L. leucocephala, M. lucida and A. lebbeck were not significant (p>0.05). On the other hand, the contents of gallic tannins measured in the leaves of S. siamea decreased at the end of the dry season (p<0.05).Conclusion: Finally, it appears that these species showed few variations in protein, cellulose and tannins throughout the dry season. Taking into account the results obtained, the shrub species studied could constitute good forage in supplementation of poor grass in the dry season. However, L. leucocephala and S. siamea should be used with much moderation for the feeding of ruminants, given the presence of gallic tannins in their leaves. Nevertheless, it would be important to study the digestibility of these forages in the dry season.Key words: legumes, fabaceae, rubiaceae, ruminants, tannins

Effet de différentes sources d'azote sur la croissance et le rendement du haricot commun (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) à l'Ouest Cameroun

Une étude de l'effet de différentes sources d'azote sur la croissance et le rendement du haricot commun (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) a été conduite à la Ferme d'Application et de Recherche de l'Université de Dschang de Septembre à Décembre 2002. Le dispositif expérimental était celui des blocs de Fisher randomisés avec 4 traitements et 3 répétitions. Les traitements 2, 3 et 4 étaient constitués respectivement des feuilles de Tithonia diversifolia (7867 kg MF/ha), des feuilles de Leucaena leucocephala (2867 kg MF/ha) et de l'urée (43,48 kg/ha) correspondant à 40 kg d'azote par hectare alors que le contrôle ne recevait aucun fertilisant (traitement 1). La taille et le nombre de feuilles par traitement ont été mesurés tous les 7 jours. Le nombre de nodules, le poids sec des feuilles, des tiges et des racines ainsi que l'indice de surface foliaire par traitement ont été évalués à la floraison. Le rendement en graine a été déterminé à la maturité des plantes. Les résultats montrent que la hauteur des plantes des parcelles traitées au T. diversifolia n'était pas significativement différente (P>0,05) de celles des parcelles traitées aux feuilles de L. leucocephala. Par contre, on a observé des différences significatives (

Effects of supplementation with leaves of Calliandra calothyrsus and Leucaena leucocephala on goat production performance during dry and rainy seasons in the western highlands of Cameroon

A study of the effect of supplementary feeding of Calliandra calothyrsusand Leucaena leucocephala on goat production was conducted at Dschang University Research farm on 24 West African Dwarf goats aged between 2 and 3 years during the dry and rainy seasons. Two bucks were introduced to the herd for two consecutive months for breeding purposes after which the herd was divided in two groups. One group was subjected to supplementary feeding with equal quantity (800 g/goat/day) of C. calothyrsus and L. leucocephala leaves. The other group served as the control. Change in body weight of does and kids were monitored from onset of supplement till three months post-partum. Results revealed a reduced incidence of abortion and an increase in body weight in the groups receiving supplement. During the three months post-partum period the body weight decreased as compared to that recorded at parturition but the supplemented goats continued to have 11 to 15% more body weight than their respective control during the dry season whereas during the rainy season the difference between supplemented and non supplemented goats were not so pronounced. The average birth weight of the kids in the supplemented group (1.35 ±0.08 kg) was significantly (