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African Journal of Biomedical Research
Ibadan Biomedical Communications Group
ISSN: 1119-5096
Vol. 4, Num. 3, 2001, pp. 147-149
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African Journal of Biomedical Research, Vol. 4, No. 3, Sept, 2001, pp. 147-149
Original article
THE UTILIZATION OF WATER HYACINTH (EICHHORNIA
CRASSIPES) BY WEST AFRICAN DWARF (WAD) GROWING GOATS
SUNDAY, A. DADA
Lagos State
Polytechnic, P. O. Box 249, Ikorodu. Lagos State, Nigeria.
Received: February 2000
Accepted in final form: January 2001
Code Number: md01070
Confined growing goats were offered ad libitum sundried
water hyacinth, cowpea pod and groundnut stubbles hand mixed in the respective
proportions: 30:40:30 (diet 1); 30:30:40 (diet 2) and 40:30:30 (diet 3) to
measure intake, feed conversion and rate of gain. Dry Matter Intake, DMI (56.14 ± 6.50g/kg dry matter intake (% of EW) 3.49 ± 0.30, feed conversion (g gain/kg
feed) 47.24 ± 5.80 and rate of gain (gd 11.00 ± 2.80 of goats fed diet 3 were
higher (P < 0.05) than the corresponding (P > 0.05) mean DM1 (49.88 ±
6.5Ogkg/BW). DM1 (% of BW) 3.11±0.30, feed conversion (g gain/kg feed)
40.55±5.80 and rate of gain (gd 8.37±2.80 of goats fed diets 1 and 2.
Evaluation of sundried E. crassipes incorporated with legume residues for
ruminant feeds at the maximum beneficial level of inclusion will be necessary.
Key Words: Water hyacinth, growing goats, intake, feed
efficiency and weight gain.
INTRODUCTION
The livestock industry in West Africa has not been able to produce enough
meat and milk for the existing population. Goat is one of the animals that
produce these products (meat and milk). Primarily, the constraints to large
scale goat production in the developing countries are unavailability of an
adequate quantity and quality feed (Devendra et al 1983; Timon et al
1986). It is therefore necessary to explore all possible avenues to adequately
increase small ruminants meat production for human consumption utilizing crop
residues and water hyacinth which are of no direct biological value to man.
There have been few studies on ways of utilizing the
low nutritive value crop residues including cowpea pod and groundnut stubble
(Kossila, 1954; Owen 1981; Sundstil et al., 1984; Kossila, 1985; Doyle
1986) and on assessment of water hyacinth as a feed resource for ruminants (Van
Soest et al, 1968; Baldwin et al., 1974; Osman et al.,
1975; Van Soest, 1982; Knab, 1982). The present study was therefore aimed at
assessing feed intake, rate of gain and feed efficiency of growing goats fed a
basal diet composition of water hyacinth, cowpea pod and groundnut stubbles.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Feed description and Preparation
Water hyacinth (E. crassipes) was collected from
River Majidun in Ikorodu Local Government, LagosState of Nigeria. The roots were cut-off and discarded, the stalks and
leaves were chopped to 3cm in length and sundried for about 5 days at an
environmental temperature (22.8 - 33.8°C) and relative humidity (54.0 - 96.0%).
Cowpea pod and groundnut stubbles were purchased at Sabo Goat Market in
Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria. Sundried water hyacinth, cowpea pod and groundnut st each
component bagged in separate jute bags were stored on wooden racks under
ambient condition until required for feeding.
Weighed water hyacinth; Cowpea pod and groundnut
stubbles were hand mixed as experimental diets by the following respective
proportions: 30:40:30 (diet 1); 30:30:40 (diet 2) and 40:30:30 (diet 3) as
shown in Table 1. These diets were balanced to contain about 10.54% crude
protein.
Twelve growing West African dwarf (WAD) goats (6
does and 6 bucks) of about 5 months of age weighing 6.00 to 6.50kg were
procured from Lagos State Polytechnic small ruminant unit in Ikorodu. The
animals were drenched and dipped against endo-and ecto-parasites and housed in
individual pens measuring 1.5m x 1.5m concrete floor covered with wood
shavings. They were allocated to the three experimental rations in a completely
randomized design (Steel and Torrie, 1980). Goats were fed (DM basis) 3% of BW
at 08.OOh and 14.OOh and each animal had free access to fresh water and salt
lick daily. Each respective diet was weighed out daily and directly placed in
feeder per goat, feed refusals were collected and weighed immediately before
08.00h meal. The study lasted 42 days including 7 days of adjustment to
confinement. Each goat was weighed (non-shrunk) every 7 days of the growth
trial.
Analytical Procedures
Dried and ground bulked feed samples were analysed
for dry matter (residue after drying to constant weight at 100°C), ash (residue
after ignition at 500°C), crude protein (Kjeldahl N x 6.25), ether extract or
fat extract dry sample with ether for about 4 hours) and crude fibre (Goering
and Van Soest, 1970). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) Statistical Analysis System
Institute (SAS) 1989 for a completely randomized design was performed on the
data and treatment means were differentiated using Duncans Multiple Range Test (Duncan, 1955).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Chemical Composition
Composition of water hyacinth-based goat diets and proximate
analysis of the diets are shown in Table 1 and chemical composition of the feed
ingredients is depicted in Table 2. The DM contents b.f diets 1, 2 and 3 were
similar with a mean value of 8 1.22%. Also the DM values of the feed
ingredients were alike with a mean value of 81.07%.
The crude protein (UP), ether extract (EE) and the ash
contents of the three diets were similar with the exception of the crude fibre
(CF) of diet 3 which was about 25% below the similar mean CF value of diets 1
and 2 (30.75g/ 100g DM). This observation may be ascribed to the relatively low
CF value of E. crassipes which constituted 40% of diet 3.
Table 1: Composition of water hyacinth-based goat diets.
Ingredientsa
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DIETS (g/ 100G DM)
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I
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II
|
III
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Water hyacinth
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30.00
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30.00
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40.00
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Cowpea pods
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40.00
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30.00
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30.00
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Groundnut stubbles
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30.00
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40.00
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30.00
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Total
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100.00
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100.00
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100.00
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Proximate Analysis:
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|
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Dry matter %
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81.06
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81.60
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81.00
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Crude protein
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10.50
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10.55
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10.68
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Ether extract
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1.78
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1.71
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1.80
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Ash
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10.34
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10.58
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10.97
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Crude fibre
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31.00
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30.50
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22.94
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aAs fed basis
Table 2: Chemical composition of feed ingredients (g/ l00g DM).
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Ingredientsa
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Water hyacinth (stalk + leaves)
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Cowpea pods
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Groundnut stubbies
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Dry matter, %
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80.60
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81.00
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81.60
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Crude protein
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10.80
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8.20
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8.30
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Ether extract
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2.30
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1.90
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1.31
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Ash
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14.06
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7.70
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10.13
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Crude fibre
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18.05
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38.80
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33.60
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aDry
matter basis.
Table 3: Performance of experimental goats on water hyacinth-based
diets.
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DIETS
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Parameters
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I
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II
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III
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SE
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Duration of experiment (days)
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35
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35
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35
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|
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Live weight Changes (kg)
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Initial
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6.50a
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6.47a
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6.49a
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0.03
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Final
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6.5Ob
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6.76b
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6.87a
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0.08
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Growth rate (gd-i)
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8.55b
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8.20b
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11.00a
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2.80
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Feed Intake
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Dry matter intake (g/kg BW)
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49.76
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50.00b
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56. 14
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6.50
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Dry matter intake (% of BW)
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3. 10
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3. 12
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3.49a
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0.30
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Feed conversion (g gain/kg feed)
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41. 39
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39.64b
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47.24a
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5.80
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a,b = Means along the same row with identical letters are
not significantly (P>0 .05) different.
Crude protein (CP) content of water hyacinth in this
study 10.80g/ 100g DM was below the reported range of CP (12-19.8%) by Boyd
(1968, 1974), Reza (1981). This observation might be due to the suggestion of
Gosset (1971) and Boyd al (1975) that the nutrient content in the environment
in which the E. crassipes is cultured influence the nitrogen and phosphorus
levels of the water weed (E. crassipes). The observed high (g/ lOOg DM) a
(14.06) and CF (18.05) in this study are similar to the contents of ash (17.53)
and CF (18.00) reported by Reza (1981). The nutritive values of cowpea pod
(Phaseolus vulgaris) and groundnut stubbles (Arachis hypogea) are similar to
values reported by Oyenuga (1968) and Karig et al, (1983).
Feed intake and Performance
Dry matter intake (DM1) of goat fed diet 3
(56.14±6.50 gkg BW° was 3.49% BW and was 12.55% higher (P < 0.05) than the
similar (P>0.05) mean intake (49.88gkg of goats fed diets 1 and 2. This
observation on intake was similar to intake of goats fed wheat straw (54±24gkg
(Houston ., 1988) and intake of sheep fed soybean stover (54.58gkg (Dada et
al., 1998). The similarly low (P<0.05) mean DM1 of goats fed diets 1 and
2 (49.88gkg- BWO may be attributed to their relatively high CF content (Table
1). A considerable body of authors are in support of kw DM1 due to high CF
content of forage (Jones et al, 1972; El Hag, 1976; Sharma et al,
1977; Huston, 1978; Devendra, 1g78; Brown et al, 1984, 1988; Hennessy et
al, 1983; Huston et al., 1988; Lascano et al., 1993). Feed
efficiency of goats led diet 3 with 40% water hyacinth inclusion (g gain/kg
feed) (47.24±5.80) was superior (P<0.05) to the corresponding (P>0.05)
mean (40.55±5.80) of goats fed diets 1 and 2 with 30% water hyacinth inclusion.
In support of this observation, CF content of diet 3 (22.94g/lOOg DM) was 24%
lower than the mean (30.2g/lOOg DM) similar CF content of diets 1 and 2.
There were no differences shown in the initial
weight (P>0.05) of the goats in the three diet groups. However, at the
termination of the study (35 days) the mean final weight of goats fed diet 3
(6.87kg) was significantly (P<0.05) higher than the similar (P>0.05)
weights of goats fed diets 1 and 2 which were 6.80 and 6.76kg respectively.
Growth rate (gd 1) of animals fed diet 3 (11.00±2.80) was also significantly
(Pet al, 1988.
Fuith beneficial level of inclusion of E. crassipes by growing goats will be
necessary.
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