EVALUATION OF NUTRIENT CONTENTS OF GMELINA ARBOREA LEAVES AS ANIMAL FEED IN THE TROPICS

Résumé

An evaluation of chemical and mineral composition different forms of Gmelina arborea (GA) leaves was investigated. Experiment 1 involve the determination of the chemical composition of green, yellow and brown leaves of GA. Experiment 2 determined the mineral contents of the different leaves of GA. Results revealed that the chemical composition of the leaves varied significantly (p.<0.05). The dry matter ranged from 80.15-91.24% in green and brown leaves respectively, while the crude protein ranged from 24.4-26.44 % in brown and green leaves respectively. The neutral detergent fibre ranged from 60.92-6.77 % in green and brown leaves respectively. Value of all minerals analyzed did not differ significantly, but was within the tolerable limit for consumption. These result showed that the different forms of Gmelina arborea leaves can be used as feed supplement for ruminants in the Tropics.