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Journal of Biological Sciences

Year: 2002 | Volume: 2 | Issue: 1 | Page No.: 49-52
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Research Article

Study on Voluntary Intake and Digestibility of Banana Foliage as a Cattle Feed

M. M. Rahman and K. S. Huque

ABSTRACT

The fresh and chopped banana plants were compared with that of the ensiled materials having them fed to mature bulls. Sixteen (16) young bulls approximately 3 years of age and weighing approx. 370 kg were used. The bulls were divided into 4 groups and were randomly allocated to the experimental diets e.g., T1 = banana pseudostem ensiled with 5% molasses, T2 = banana pseudostem ensiled with 5% molasses and 10% straw, T3 = chopped fresh banana pseudostem with 5% molasses, T4 = urea (3%)-molasses (15%)-straw (82%). All the diets were enriched with 3% urea. All the animals received 60 g/d of mineral 4 supplement including sodium sulphate and dicalcium phosphate. The daily average dry matter intake in percent live weight was 1.33, 2.73, 1.20 and 2.50, respectively. Dry matter digestibility was significantly (p<0.01) higher in the T2 (78%) fed animals than T1 (59%), T3 (65%) and T4 (62%). In T2 and T3 diets NH3 -N concentration were relatively high which ranged from 54.87 to 238.56 mg/L and 42.15 to 188.47 mg/L, respectively. The 48 h in sacco degradability of washed straw in response to feeding T1 , T2 and T3 diets were 50, 51 and 51%, respectively. The ME intake was significantly (p<0.01) higher in T2 (1300 KJ/kg W0.75 /d) than that of T3 (945 KJ/kg W0.75 /d), T4 (498 KJ/kg W0.75 /d) or T3 (515 KJ/kg W0.75 /d). It may be concluded that both the preserved and fresh chopped banana whole plants had digestibility of 59 to 78% and their intake in native bull ranged from 1.20 to 2.73% live weight.
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