Abstract:
This study determines in-vitro gas production
of 13 plant species potential of fodder crops
used by livestock farmers in the guinea
savanna, Agro-ecological zone of North¬
central Nigeria. Leaf samples from each of
these fodder plants were harvested at the
vegetative stage from mature plants around
Jos, Lafia and Abuja vicinity: five multi¬
purpose trees; (leucaena leucocaphala,
gmelina arborea, daniella olioverii,
mangifera indica, acacia albida), four tropical
browse crops; (arachis hypogea, manihot spp,
vigna spp, zea mays), and four
grasses;(digitaria exillis, sorghum bicolor,
panicum maximum, and andropogon
gayanus). The gas production profiles of the
selected browse plant foliage were significant
(p<0.05). The lowest volume
(6.67ml/200mgDM) of gas produced was
observed in Digitaria exillis and Andropogon
gayanus at the 3-hour incubation periods
while the highest volume
(124.67ml/200mgDM) of gas produced
during incubation were recorded in Arachis
hypogea at the 48hr incubation time. Most
gas were produced between 3 hours of
incubation to 42 hours of incubation. It is
therefore recommended that crop residues
and multi-purpose trees foliage among the
fodder crops should be used as feed
supplements to feed ruminant in time.
