Effect of feeding chayote (Sechium edule) meal on growth performance and nutrient utilization in indigenous pig (Zovawk) of Mizoram

Abstract

Aim:This study was planned to investigate the effect of feeding different levels of chayote (Sechium edule) meal by replacing standard concentrate mixture (CM) on the growth parameters such as feed intake, body weight gain, average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), and nutrient utilization in indigenous pig of Mizoram.Materials and Methods:Twenty-four growing indigenous pigs (Zovawk) were used to study the effect of feeding chayote (Sechium edule) meal (fruits and leaves at the ratio 4:1) on growth performance and nutrient utilization. They were allocated randomly into 4 treatment groups (G1, G2, G3, and G4). Chayote meal was used to replace standard CM (pig grower ration) at 0% (G1), 20% (G2), 30% (G3), and 40% (G4).Results:During the feeding trial of 90 days, it was found that the dry matter (DM) intake decreased as the level of chayote meal increased. For G1, G2, G3, and G4, the ADG (kg) was 0.24±0.04, 0.23±0.03, 0.18±0.02, and 0.18±0.02, respectively, and the feed conversion efficiency was 5.42±0.44, 4.93±0.17, 5.38±0.05, and 5.74±0.53, respectively. However, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) among the different treatment groups in respect to ADG and FCR. At the end of the feeding trial, digestibility trial was conducted to study the effect of feeding chayote meal in the digestibility of the different nutrients by the experimental animals. From the digestibility trial, it was revealed that the digestibility coefficient of DM, crude protein, and crude fiber were also similar (p>0.05), although the ether extract digestibility in G1 was significantly low (p<0.01) as compared to G2, G3, and G4.Conclusion:Chayote meal could safely replace the standard grower ration up to 40% in the diet of growing local pigs without causing any adverse effects on growth and nutrient utilization.

Evaluation of gastrointestinal bacterial population for the production of holocellulose enzymes for biomass deconstruction

“…Both animals were fed chayote ( Sechium edule ) for a month as previously described and recommended [22]. Representative samples of total GI contents (500 mL) were collected immediately after slaughter.…”

Chayote (Sechium edule): A review of nutritional composition, bioactivities and potential applications

“…Chayote seems to play an important role in promoting growth in pigs, poultry and cattle or in their health management. Lalthansanga and Samanta (2015) studied the growth and nutrient utilization of Zovawk pigs fed on different levels of chayote meal (fruits and leaves) in the diet. After a 90-day feeding trial, it was found that chayote meal could safely replace the standard grower ration up to 40% in the diet of pigs without causing any adverse effects on growth and nutrient utilization.…”

Combined genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic analyses provide insights into chayote (Sechium edule) evolution and fruit development

“…In recent years, reports about chayote have been mainly related to the function, compositions, and applications of its fruit, stems, leaves, and tubers 4 , 9 , 15 , 16 . Although there has been extensive exploration of the genomes within the Cucurbitaceae family, such as Cucumis sativus (2 n = 2 x = 14, 226.2 Mb) 17 , Cucumis melo (2 n = 2 x = 24, 398.57 Mb) 18 , Citrullus lanatus (2 n = 2 x = 22, 353.5 Mb) 19 , Cucurbita pepo (2 n = 2 x = 20, 263 Mb) 20 , Luffa cylindrica (2 n = 2 x = 26, 656.19 Mb) 21 , Lagenaria siceraria (2 n = 2 x = 22, 313.4 Mb) 22 , and Benincasa hispida (2 n = 2 x = 24, 913 Mb) 23 , there is no complete genome of chayote available at present 24 , and there have only been a few studies on methods for chayote DNA extraction 25 and on the genes expressed in chayote fruit 26 , 27 .…”