Availability of Some Tropical Plants as Alternative Roughage Source in Ruminant Feeding

Abstract

Roughages have vital importance in the diet of ruminants because they are cheap and absolutely necessary for digestive physiology. Ruminant nutrition requires quality feeds to obtain high amounts of product. As more than half of the business inputs are made up of feed expenses, the necessity of high-quality roughage sources, which are cheaper compared to concentrate, arises. The high quality of roughage means that the amount of mixed feed that can be put into the ruminant ration to meet the nutrient requirement is less. Thus, the cost of the product to be obtained will decrease and the net profit will increase. Since the leaves of some plants grown in the tropical region and the fruits and shells that cannot be used as human food are not utilized, they cause environmental pollution, and the feed cost cannot be reduced because the vegetable waste is not used in animal feeding. Many tropical plant leaves and waste are rich in protein and crude fiber. Crude protein levels in the leaves of some tropical plants can be up to 30%. The usability of tropical plant leaves and fruit peels, which are rich in nutrients, as roughage has not been adequately studied. These plants can be used as an alternative roughage source for ruminants in times of shortage of quality roughage and in times of famine, increasing animal production and preventing problems in the environment. The purpose of this review is to examine the possibilities of using leaves and fruits and wastes of some tropical plants (Guava, papaya, banana, mango, pineapple, cassava, moringa and avocado) as an alternative roughage source in ruminants.