CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY OF PELLETED and ENSILED CASSAVA PEEL -GLIRICIDIA SEPIUM LEAVES FOR SOKOTO GUDALI CATTLE

Abstract

This study investigated the chemical composition, acceptability, and nutrient digestibility of pelleted and ensiled feeds formulated from cassava peel (CSP) and Gliricidia sepium leaves (GL) for Sokoto Gudali cattle. Eighteen cattle were randomly divided into two groups: nine for pellet and nine for silage experiments, each further allocated to three treatments with three replicates. The treatments comprised CSP-GL mixtures at ratios of 75:25, 50:50, and 25:25. Feeds were offered using a cafeteria method to assess acceptability, after 15days of adaptation and collection time, the most preferred silage and pellets were offered for comparison. Digestibility was evaluated over 14 days. Results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and fiber fractions across diets. The 25:75 CSP-GL diet recorded the lowest DM content and highest fiber fraction, while the 75:25 CSP-GL silage had the highest Coefficient of Preference (CoP = 1.85).

Pellet diets showed significant variations in CP, acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and DM digestibility, with the 75:25 CSP-GL mixture achieving the highest digestibility values. In contrast, silage exhibited no significant differences in fiber fraction or CP digestibility. The 75:25 CSP-GL pellet also demonstrated the highest DM digestibility (92.92%). These findings indicate that pelletizing CSP and GL enhances nutrient utilization, making it a viable dry-season feed option for Sokoto Gudali cattle.