Nutrient Composition and In Vitro Gas Production of False Yam (Icacinaoliviformis) Leaves

Abstract

Icacina oliviformis is common shrub found in the Northern Regions of Ghana. It has received very little attention regarding its use as feed supplement for ruminants. This study was carried out to determine the chemical composition and potential digestibility of the leaves of Icacina oliviformis (IOL) when incubated with or without ammonium hydrogen carbonate (NH4)₂CO₃ in the media. The media with (NH4)₂CO₃ was referred to as nitrogen sufficient (NS) and the one without (NH4)₂CO₃ was nitrogen deficient (ND). The results of the study showed that IOL had a dry matter content of 377.3g/Kg with a crude protein content of 173g/kg. The NDF, ADF and ADL were 439.5, 393.5 and 191.9g/kg respectively. The gross energy content was estimated to be 18.4MJ/Kg DM. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the ND and NS media for all the parameters measured except for ammonium nitrogen where the NS was significantly (p=0.021) higher than the ND. The potential degradability recorded for the IOL in both ND and NS media was 158.47 and 170.93 respectively. The rate of degradability of the ND was 0.055 and that of NS was 0.043. The pH and ammonium nitrogen recorded were all within the optimum range required for microbial cell synthesis and cellulolysis. The IOL has a potential to be included in the feed formulation for ruminants in Ghana.