The research objectives were to measure the concentration of progesterone and prolactin hormone and milk production of New

CARRYING CAPACITY OF FORAGE IN COFFEE FARM AND NATIVE PASTURE AREA AT DISTRICT OF FLORES TIMUR, EAST NUSA TENGGARA. Research was conducted at coffee farm and native pasture area with the objective to measure the production and quality of forage. The research method used was survey method. Primary data were collected at Sub-district of Wulanggitang - District of Flores Timur, particularly in the coffee farm and the native pasture areas. Primary data consisted of production and quality of the native grasses including land fertility -both physical and chemical - in the coffee farm area. On the other hand, secondary data were taken from related institutions cover climate condition and topography. The result showed that potency of forage resources in the Sub-District of Wulanggitang reach 7,664 ton fresh matter/ha for the coffee farm and 6.98 ton fresh matter/ha for the native grasses, respectively. The total production may figure carrying capacity of the coffee farm area is 0.42 UT/ha and 0.38 ST/ha of the native grasses, respectively. In addition, the topography of Wulanggitang Sub-district was about 0 % - > 40 %. Moreover, chemical composition of the forages, mainly crude protein, was 6.95 % in the coffee farm area and 6.65 % in the native pasture area, respectively. It was found that the forages crude protein was very high and available over the livestock minimum needed. Composition of the crude protein was high since the forages are relatively young due to high rainy distribution in a few weeks before taking the sample. However, although the crude composition of the forages in the coffee farm - both quantitatively and qualitatively- was higher than that of the native pasture, its function to support the feed resources was not significant. In conclusion, the potency of the forage resources in those two areas was not support the livestock development especially beef cattle farm at the Sub-district of Wulanggitang when it depends only on the forages of these two areas.   Key words: Forage quality, Stocking rate, Coffee farm, Native pasture, Carrying capacity

Penelitian ini telah dilaksanakan di padang penggembalaan alam di Desa  Maubokul, Kecamatan  Pandawai, Kabupaten Sumba Timur. Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui produksi hijauan pakan dan komposisi botani serta kapasitas tampung awal musim kemarau. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian adalah metode survei dan pengukuran serta pengamatan langsung di lapangan. Pengukuran produksi hijauan menggunakan metode “Actual Weight Estimate” dengan menggunakan kuadran ukur 1 m x 1 m. Data yang diperoleh ditabulasi dan dihitung untuk mendapatkan persentase produksi hijauan pakan, komposisi botani serta kapasitas tampung. Hasil penelitian  menunjukkan bahwa padang penggembalaan  Desa Maubokul, Kecamatan Pandawai, Kabupaten Sumba Timur produksi bahan kering sebesar 1866,8 kg/ha, nilai Summed Dominan Ratio (SDR) rumput 84,4%, diikuti legum  15,6% dan terakhir gulma 0% dan memiliki kapasisitas tamping sebesar 1,001 ST/ha/tahun. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa padang rumput alam di Desa Maubokul didominasi oleh rumput alam dengan kapasitas tampung yang cukup tinggi.

No abstract

The research objective was to evaluate the genetic diversity of Moringa oleifera, Lam (MO) and its relationship to chemical composition and in vitro gas production (IVGP). Fresh MO leaves were kept frozen in ice gels pack until laboratory analysis. Four methods applied: RAPD marker for measuring DNA concentration and purification; Kjeldhal and HPLC for analysing proximate and amino acid (AA) composition; and IVGP. MO's four distinct morphology found: green, red, reddish green and aromatic green. RAPD result analysis was 68.8-74.7 %, it means those MO had a close genetic similarity. The morphological differences are also related to leaves chemical composition variation. The highest protein and AAs content were found in aromatic green MO. Total IVGP at 96 hours reached 95.9, 99.3, 111, 115 mL per 500 mg DM in aromatic green, green, reddish green, red MO, respectively and statistically among those was highly significant difference (P<0.01). However, DM and OM digestibility did not differ significantly and estimated ME contents were similar suggesting MO leaves had sufficient fermentable nitrogen amount required to ensure rumen microbes normal activities. Conclusively, those MO has a close genetic relationship but the aromatic green MO more beneficial due its higher content of crude protein and AAs.