Publication 2005

3. Effect of water spinach and fresh cassava leaves on growth performance of pigs fed a basal diet of broken rice

Khieu Borin, Lindberg, J.E., Ogle, R.B., 2005.
British Society for Animal Science 2005, 80: 319-324

Summary: The experiment was carried out from 16 November 2004 to 24 February 2005 at CelAgrid in Kandal village, Rolous Commune, Kandal Stung district, Kandal province. Eighteen crossbred (Local*Landrace or Local*Duroc) castrated male pigs with initial body weight from 11 to 14 kg were allocated to 6 treatments in a 2*3 factorial arrangement with three types of protein (Fresh cassava leaves (CL), Fresh water spinach (WS) and Mixture of cassava leaves and water spinach (50: 50 DM basis) (WSCL) and With and without methionine supplement. The pigs were housed in individual pens with concrete floor and provided with feeders and drinking nipples. Fresh cassava leaves were harvested every day from plots at CelAgrid and water spinach purchased from market. The leaves plus stems of the water spinach and the leaves of cassava were chopped into small pieces, mixed with the other ingredients of the diet and fed immediately. The amounts of feed offered were based on the broken rice being fed at the rate of 2 kg DM per 100 kg live weight (equivalent to 4 kg of DM per 100 kg live weight of the total feed), and were given in 3 meals daily (8.00, 12.00 and 17.00h).The pigs were weighed every 10 days. Individual feed intake and crude protein intake were recorded daily from weight of fresh material offered minus the residue collected the next morning. Feed conversion ratio was calculated from individual daily DM intake and live weight gain. Feed samples were taken every 5 days to determine DM and every 10 days for N and HCN.

Abstract : The pigs were up to 38% of their DM intake of cassava leaves with no symptoms of HCN toxicity. Growth rates on all treatments increased as the pigs became heavier, but were always lower on the cassava leaves supplement compared with water spinach or the mixture of both. There were no differences between water spinach as the only protein supplement and the mixture of water spinach and cassava leaves. There was no effect on performance traits of the DL-methionine. It was concluded that there appear to be synergistic positive effects from combining two sources of protein-rich leaves as supplements to a low protein basal diet for growing pigs.