ROOT AND TUBER CROPS AS AN ALTERNATIVE DIETARY ENERGY SOURCES FOR POULTRY- A REVIEW

Abstract

Tuber crops are staple food in many parts of the tropics, being the source of daily carbohydrate intake for large population of man and livestock. These carbohydrates are mostly starches. Found in storage organs, which may be enlarged roots, corms and tubers. Due to high cost of conventional energy sources in animal feed, efforts are being made towards developing alternative sources of energy in the area of utilization of tuber meal. The tubers examined were cassava (Mannihot esculentum), sweet potato (Ipomoea batata) and cocoyam (Colocasia esculetum). It was found that cassava root meal replaced up to 30% of maize without detrimental effect on the growth performance of poultry. Also cassava sievate meals are included up to 20% in the starter cockerel diet. Sweet potato meal is included up to 38.73% in the diet of Japanese quail, cocoyam could replace maize up to 30% for finisher broiler. For more efficient utilization of the tuber meals, effort should be geared towards sourcing the best processing technique like decomposing directing by heating them above a temperature of 1500 c. Crusting the tubers to allow greater interaction and microbial detoxification that will ensure reduction in the levels of anti-nutritional factor such as hydro cyanide (HCN) in cassava and calcium oxalate in cocoyam and pelleting the tuber meals to reduce dustiness.