Nutritional evaluation of some aquatic plants for animal feeding

Publication Type

Journal contribution

Authors

Khan, M.J., H. Steingass, W. Drochner

Year of publication

2002

Published in

Bangladesh Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Band/Volume

29/2

Page (from - to)

317-324

Keywords

aquatic plants, chemical composition, energy contents, in vitro digestibility

ABSTRACT: Five different species of aquatic plants frequently found in Bangladesh were analysed for proximate constituents, fiber fractions, mineral and trace element contents, amino acid composition and in vitro studies were employed to estimate metabolizable energy (ME), organic matter digestibility (dO) and nitrogen availability. There were considerable differences in nutrient content among species. With regard to crude protein Lemna sp. Azolla pinnata and Eichhornia crassipes leaves exceeded 25% in dry matter. Crude fiber content was lower than that in conventional roughages except in Eichhornia crassipes, whereas fiber fractions were comparable to those of common roughages. Acid detergent lignin (ADL) was high in most samples. All plants were rich in ash and minerals with exceptionally high contents of Fe and Mn except Eichhornia crassipes. Amino acid composition was comparable to that of other vegetative plant proteins. Organic matter digestibility ranged between 47.4 and 62.5% and metabolizable energy contents between 4.8 and 6.0 MJ/kg DM. In vitro study showed that there was wide variation in N availability among plants, which at 48 h were between 19.1 and 42.8%.