Nutritive evaluation of foliage from fodder trees and shrubs characteristic of Algerian arid and semi-arid areas

Abstract

The chemical composition and digestibility of foliage from nine browse plant species (Artemisia herba-alba, Atriplex halimus, Acacia nilotica, Acacia horrida, Acacia saligna, Faidherbia albida, Albizia julibrissin, Vicia faba and Punica granatum) grown in arid and semi-arid areas of Algeria were evaluated. Feed components were determined by proximate analysis, whereas phenolic and tannin compounds were analysed by colorimetric procedures and their activity tested using a biological assay. Digestibility was assessed by conventional gravimetric in vitro and in situ methods, and rumen fermentation kinetics were estimated from the in vitro gas production technique. The foliage from Acacia species was found to be a protein-rich fodder for ruminants, although the high lignin and tannin content of some species is an important constraint limiting its digestive utilization in the gastrointestinal tract. The leguminous fodder tree, A. julibrissin, has a high protein content and its foliage is highly digestible owing to its low tannin content. Foliage from P. granatum is a highly digestible browse for ruminants.

Evaluation of the relative feed value of indigenous savanna forage shrub species in Ghana

“…The mean DM content obtained from this study was similar to those reported by Yavuz (2007) and Ogunbosoye and Babayemi (2012) of some browse plants. The DM results were also comparable to DM values obtained by Bouazza et al (2012) on some forages in Algeria. Relatively, the DM content of the shrubs was higher than that obtained by Gonzalez-Garcia et al (2009) on Leucaena leucocephala cultivars in both dry and wet seasons.…”

“…There was significant (p< 0.05) variation of crude fat content among the shrub species. Similar variations in chemical composition have been reported for some fodder trees and shrubs of Algerian arid and semi-arid areas (Bouazza et al, 2012). This could partly be due to the physiological and genetic differences of the shrubs and also the bioclimatic conditions.…”

Halophytic herbs of the Mediterranean basin: An alternative approach to health

“…were also identified by Kabbash and Shoeib (2012), as also two phenolic glycosides, one ecdysteroid, one megastigmane and two methoxylated flavonoid glycosides. Tannin, alkaloid, saponin, lignin and fiber contents were relatively low, while proteins were detected in moderately high levels and were associated with high digestibility (Benhammou et al, 2009;Bouazza et al, 2012). Also interesting to point out is that the concentrations of bioactive constituents vary within the growing season, reaching high protein and low fiber levels during February to April and low protein and high fiber levels during August and October (El-Shatnawi and Mohawesh, 2000).…”

دراسة التأثير المحتمل لأوراق نبات القطف على حيوانات التجارب المصابة بارتفاع جلوکوز الدم

“…A. halimus is a nutritious plant, rich in dietary fiber (cellulose), with its fiber-rich content, it facilitates digestion (16) . Furthermore, chromium-magnesium salts contained in A. halimus evidenced as an insulin cofactor to facilitate glucose entry into muscle and fat cells (32) .Proteins were detected in moderately high levels on the leaves of A. halimus and were associated with high digestibility (33) . The present study discussed about the antidiabetic effects of A. halimus leaves powder on normal and alloxan-induced-diabetic at a dose of (150 mg per kg) rats during 28 days.…”