Pigtrop - the information center about pig production and pork meat commodity chains in developing countries

Herbage of Cratylia argentea , Desmodium velutinum ,  Fleminigia macrophylla,  Leucaena diversifolia,  Canavalia brasiliensis , Centrosema brasilianum , Clitoria ternatea ,  Lablab purpureus , Stylosanthes guianensis  and Vigna unguiculata  from the CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) gene bank were assessed for their nutritional value and in-vitro  digestibility for pigs in order to predict their potential as alternative protein supplement in a tropical smallholder context.

Crude protein (CP) contents ranged from 137 to 257 g kg^-1  dry matter (DM) (mean 191 g kg^-1 DM), although a considerable proportion of it, 27 % on average, was bound to neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Interesting levels of lysine were found in  Cratylia argentea  (14 g kg^-1  DM) and Leucaena diversifolia  (13 g kg^-1  DM), whereby the latter was also high in tannic acid concentration (49 g kg^-1  DM) thus limiting the amino acid digestibility. Vigna unguiculata  presented highest  in-vitro  enzymatic degradability (521 g kg^-1  DM), which even increased in a 40:60 mixture with maize. Lowest degradation was obtained with  Flemingia macrophylla  (248 g kg^-1  DM), while the median of the forages approached 390 g kg^-1  DM. It is concluded, that Vigna unguiculata  herbage meal has the highest potential to be successfully included in pig diets, while Cratylia argentea  meal should equally be assessed in vivo .

Keywords:  amino acids, fiber, in-vitro digestibility, tannins