Growth Performance of Indigenouns Goat Breeds Through Grazing Supplemented with Graded Levels of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea Batatas) Silage in Loma Woreda, Southern Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Background: A study was carried out in Loma district of Southern part of Ethiopia that aimed to determine the effects of supplementation of graded levels of sweet potato vine silage on growth performances of grazing indigenous goat breeds. Loma district, the potential area for sweet potato production, that they practiced feeding sweet potato for animal feed shortage especially during dry season in the study area. Two hundred Sixteen indigenous yearling male local goats (16.3±0.4kg) were randomly selected for on-farm feeding trial. The goats were blocked into four groups of fifty four animals based on their initial body weight. Dietary treatments were randomly assigned to each animal in the groups. Animals which were assigned randomly in each block were given to farmers. The treatment comprised of grazing alone as treatment 1, grazing+78 g dry matter sweet potato silage as treatment 2, grazing +156 g dry matter sweet potato silage as treatment 3, grazing + 234 g dry matter sweet potato silage as treatment 4. Results: The highest dry matter contents (89.7%) were observed in final trial periods compared to initial and mid-term of trial periods. The average daily gain for Treatment 4 was higher (P<0.05) than those goats in Treatment 1 and Treatment 2. The weight gain for Treatment 3 and Treatment 4 were similar (P>0.05). About 96.7% of the respondents produce sweet potato. Conclusions: In the current feeding trial study results indicated that, the increased supplementation of sweet potato vine silage revealed increased performance of grazing local goats. Intake of dry matter increased from 78% to 234% with increasing levels of sweet potato vine silage supplementation. There was higher average daily gain for the supplemented group (60, 80 and 97g/head/day in Treatment 2, Treatment 3 and Treatment 4, respectively) than non-supplemented ones (34.2g/head/day). Therefore, from these findings it is concluded that supplementation of sweet potato silage favors better growth rate however we need to work on improving the productivity of sweet potato and improve benefits of feeding to goats.

Effects of Sweet Potato Vine Silage Supplementation on Meat Quality, Antioxidant Capacity and Immune Function in Finishing Pigs

Background Sweet potato vine is the stem and leaf of sweet potato and is nutritious as feedstuff. Silage is an effective solution to retain nutritional value and is beneficial for the preservation. This article explored the effects of Sweet potato vine silage (SPVS) supplementation on meat quality, antioxidant capacity and immune function in finishing pigs. 180 finishing pigs (Berkshire×Licha Black) with body weight of 74.54 ± 3.32 kg were randomly divided into three groups with six pigs per pen and six replicate per treatment: control diet (CON), CON supplemented with 2.5% SPVS (LSPVS) and 5.0% SPVS (HSPVS). Results It showed that eye muscle area in the LSPVS group was significantly increased and carcass weight in the HSPVS was significantly reduced. Cooking loss in both HSPVS and LSPVS were significantly reduced. Hepatic level of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) was significantly upregulated in LSPVS but downregulated in HSPVS. In serum, HSPVS decreased glutathione (GSH) level and increased GSH-PX level. HSPVS significantly reduced hepatic IL-1 level and LSPVS significantly reduced IL-12 level and increased IL-8 level. Moreover, HSPV promoted the secretion of IgM and IgG in serum. Conclusions SPVS supplementation improved animal performance, meat quality, antioxidant capacity and immune performance in finishing pigs, which provide a new alternative to improve animal health and substitute traditional feedstuff.

Effect of replacing maize with graded levels of sweet potato vine – cassava composite meal on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass characteristics and economics of production of weaned rabbits

The study was carried out to determine the feed value of replacing maize with graded levels of sweet potato vine – cassava composite meal (SPV-CCM) to rabbits. Five treatment diets were formulated to contain SPV-CCM inclusion levels of 0% (control), 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Thirty weaned rabbits of mixed breeds and sexes were used for the experiment. They were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments with one rabbit as a replicate in a completely randomized design. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Parameters measured were that of growth, digestibility, carcass and economics of production. The result showed that there was no significant (P>0.05) difference effect on final weight, total weight gain, daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio across the dietary treatments. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference on crude protein digestibility, crude fibre and ether extract which were within the required values for rabbit. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference on live weight at slaughter, dressing percentage, heart, liver, kidney, lungs/trachea, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, caecum, large intestine and visceral fat, there was however, a significant (P<0.05) difference in dressed weight, pancreases, spleen and kidney fat. A high cost of feeding, cost per kilogram diet and production was recorded in T and low cost of feeding, cost per kilogram diet and production in T . The result showed that 1 5 maize could be replaced by SPV-CCM up to 100% without any adverse effect on their performance, nutrient digestibility and carcass characteristics. However, the optimum performance was observed when 75% SPV-CCM replaced maize in the diet. Replacement of maize with SPV-CCM has relative cost advantage over the control diet and so should be incorporated in the diet of rabbit up to the level considered in this study.

Microbial Mechanistic Insights into the Role of Sweet Potato Vine on Improving Health in Chinese Meishan Gilt Model

This study explored the impact of fresh sweet potato vine on the growth as well as the metabolites and colon microbial composition in Chinese Meishan gilt. Twenty Meishan gilts (body weight 30 ± 0.18 kg, n = 10 per treatment) were randomly assigned to a control (CON) or sweet potato vine (SPV) supplementation diet treatment. Gilts were housed in individual stalls. In the SPV treatment, 2 kg fresh sweet potato vine was used instead of 0.18 kg basal diet which provided the same amount of digestive energy and crude protein with the exception of crude fiber (CON, 51.00 g/d vs. SPV, 73.94 g/d) in terms of dry matter intake. Gilts were slaughtered and samples were collected on day 19 after the third estrus cycle. The SPV treatment tended to increase slaughter weight of gilts (p = 0.07); it also increased (p < 0.05) gastrointestinal tract weight and intestinal muscle layer thickness. SPV treatment also decreased (p < 0.05) carcass yield and subcutaneous adipose tissue. The concentration of zonulin and endotoxin in plasma was decreased (p < 0.05) as the gilt consumed the SPV diet. Colonic fecal concentrations of endotoxin, lipocalin-2, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were decreased (p < 0.05), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) was increased (p < 0.05) in the SPV treatment. Butyric acid and acetate concentration in colonic content as well as acetate concentration in caecal content were increased (p < 0.05) in the SPV treatment. Furthermore, the expression of carnitine palmityl transferase (CPT-1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) in gilt liver in SPV treatment was increased (p < 0.05) in comparison with CON treatment. Meanwhile, the composition of the colon microbes was also altered by SPV; representative changes included an increase in Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, Roseburia, and Lachnospira. These results indicate that gilt fed with sweet potato vine had decreased gut permeability, endotoxin and pro-inflammatory cytokines concentrations; colonic fecal microbiota was also changed, which may be further beneficial to the intestinal health of Chinese Meishan gilt.

Effect of Sweet Potato Vine on the Onset of Puberty and Follicle Development in Chinese Meishan Gilts

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of sweet potato vine on the onset of puberty and the follicular development in the ovaries of Chinese Meishan gilts. A total of 20 Meishan gilts (initial body weight at 30 ± 0.18 kg) were randomly fed a control (CON) or sweet potato vine (SPV) supplemented diet until 19 days following the third estrous. Sweet potato vine was instead of part of basal diet with the same amount of energy and protein in the sweet potato vine group. The results indicate that gilts fed with sweet potato vine reached puberty 9.4 days later. The development of ovaries was enhanced by sweet potato vine supplementation, characterized by an increase (p < 0.05) in the relative weight of the ovaries and the number of large follicles (>5 mm). Sweet potato vine supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and reduced (p < 0.05) the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum of the gilts. Also, the expression of superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) and luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) mRNA in the granulosa cells from the large follicle (>5 mm) of gilts in the SPV group were increased (p < 0.05) as compared with the CON group. These results indicate that gilts fed with sweet potato vine exhibited delayed puberty as well as improved follicular development, which may contribute to the reproductive performance of Chinese Meishan gilts.

Supplementing Tropical Cattle for Improved Nutrient Utilization and Reduced Enteric Methane Emissions

Given their high nitrogen (N) concentration and low costs, sweet potato vine silage (SPVS) and urea-molasses blocks (UMB) are recommended supplements for tropical regions; therefore, they were investigated in this study. Six heifers were allocated to three diets: the roughage diet (R) consisted of wheat straw (0.61) and Rhodes grass hay (0.39; on dry matter (DM) basis); R + SPVS combined R (0.81) and SPVS (0.19); and with R + UMB animals had access to UMB. During two experimental periods, feed intake, feces and urine excretion, digesta passage, and rumen microbial protein synthesis were determined during seven days and methane emissions during three days. There was no treatment effect (p > 0.05) on DM and N intake. Apparent DM digestibility of R + SPVS (510 g/kg) was higher (p < 0.05) than of R (474 g/kg). Digesta passage and duodenal microbial N flow were similar for all diets (p > 0.05), while N retention was highest with R + SPVS (p > 0.05). Methane emissions per unit of digested feed (g CH4/kg dDM) were lower (p < 0.05) for R + SPVS (55.2) than for R (64.7). Hence, SPVS supplementation to poor–quality roughage has the potential to increase diet digestibility and N retention while reducing CH4 emissions.