Nutrient quality and in vitro digestibility of dried cassava peel, mushroom degraded cassava peel and silage from guinea grass
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Abstract
There is a need to address the knowledge gap regarding the nutritional composition and digestibility of alternative feed resources in livestock nutrition to assess. This study was carried out to determine the nutritive quality and in vitro digestibility of dried cassava peel (DCP), mushroom degraded cassava peel (MDCP) and silage from guinea grass at different levels. Fresh Panicum maximum were harvested at 8 weeks after cutback chopped to 3-4 cm length, wilted for 24hours and ensiled for 4 months. Fresh cassava peels were sun-dried for 4 days. Some of the stored dried cassava peels were used as substrate to culture mushroom Pleurotus pulmonarius (oyster species) which was used in varying proportions in diets with dried cassava peels, grasses, silage and conventional feed. Samples from the diet composition were milled to determine chemical analyses and in vitro gas production techniques. The data collected were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the treatment means separated with Duncan Multiple Range Test. The result showed highest crude protein (CP) (17.42%) in diet containing 40% grass+50% DCP and 10% palm kernel cake (PKC) and least was observed in 100% DCP with the value of 4.90%. The highest methane gas at P<0.05 was observed in 100% DCP with 26.33ml and the lowest (P<0.05) was from 100% MDCP with 12.88ml. The diet having 40% Grass + 50% DCP + 10% PKC had the highest nutritional qualities. It was therefore concluded that mushroom degraded cassava peel can be used as protein supplement in ruminant feed..