Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) Pods as a Feed Resource for Livestock - A Review -

Abstract

Mesquite or Vilayati babul (Prosopis juliflora) is a drought resistant, evergreen, spiny tree with drooping branches and a deep laterally spreading root system. It grows in semi-arid and arid tracts of tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world and is spreading because the leaves are unpalatable and animals do not digest its seed. The mesquite has become a major nuisance; cutting or pruning its branches to form a canopy would provide shade for travelers, aid harvesting of pods, as well as make available wood for fuel. An average plant starts fruiting by 3-4 years of age and yields annually 10-50 kg pods/ tree, which can be collected from May-June and September-October. Availability of pods worldwide is estimated to be about 2-4 million metric tonnes. Ripe pods are highly palatable; on dry matter basis they contain 12% crude protein, 15% free sugar, a moderate level of digestible crude protein (7% DCP) with a high level of energy (75% TDN). The pods contain low tannin levels below those toxic to animals. Seeds contain 31-37% protein; pods should be finely ground before feeding to facilitate utilization of the seeds. Mesquite pods could replace costlier feed ingredients such as grain and bran contributing 10-50% of the diet. Phosphorus supplements need to be added when mesquite pod, exceeds 20% of animals' diet.

Assessing the Potential of Sentinel-2 and Pléiades Data for the Detection of Prosopis and Vachellia spp. in Kenya

“…These two studies utilized local knowledge of the study area and plantation sites, without focusing on remote sensing techniques; plant inventories were made along transects. Other research in Bargino focused on impacts of Prosopis invasion on livelihoods [17], costs of controlling the invasion and local residents' perceptions on Prosopis invasion [36], management, control and utilization of Prosopis [19,20]. However, detailed mapping of Prosopis using higher spatial resolution data and better performing classifiers has not been achieved for Baringo.…”

“…This enhances seed germination after passing through the digestive system [3] and further propagates the species [18]. A fully developed Prosopis tree yields between 10 and 50 kg of pods annually [19], with approximately 20 to 35 thousand seeds per kg [20]. For comparison, mature Vachellia yields roughly 10 to 12 kg of pods annually containing 12 to 25 thousand seeds per kg [21].…”

Inter-annual variability in Prosopis caldenia pod production in the Argentinean semiarid pampas: A modelling approach

“…According to Privitello (2001), a 13 cm DBH (in our sampling site area) corresponds to a calden tree approximately 20-25 years old. Prosopis peak pod production occurs at 15-20 years of age (Sawal et al, 2004), which suggest that the presence or absence of pods is more dependent on other factors, such as climate, than on "switching on/off" processes like tree maturity.…”

Effects of Prosopis laevigata pods on carcass characteristics, non-carcass components, meat quality, fatty acid profile and sensory attributes

“…Mesquite (Prosopis spp.) is a leguminous tree that grows in several arid and semi-arid regions of the world and provides feed biomass when grains and pasture reserves are low (Sawal et al, 2004). Mesquite pods contain 220 g free sugars, 78 g crude protein, 21 g fat, and a potential degradation of 163 g/kg DM (Peña-Avelino et al, 2014) and can therefore be used to balance diets that are based on grain.…”