Cassava is proven to Increase the Weight of Bligon Goat

 

Until now, traditional goat farmers tend to give king grass (Pennisetum purpureophoides) as the single alkali feed. King Grass is often found in rainy season; during the dry season it is rare. This causes the non-sustainability of animal feed that makes low productivity of livestocks.

drh. Sri Wigati, M.Agr.Sc., a lecturer of Faculty of Animal Sciences, University of Jambi, mentioned that the main cause of low productivity of bligon goat's off-springs and parents is the lack of nutrition/feed particularly in long dry seasons. “Actually, cassava is very potential for goat’s feed. Its leaves and tuber can be used as substitution of king grass and it can be made a supplement. The dry season is the peak of cassava leaves production, so, the feed stock problem is resolved. However, now cassava is not utilized optimally as animal feed,” she said on Monday (29/3) at Auditorium of Faculty of Animal Sciences, UGM.

 

The lady born in Banyumas, 24 December 1964, added that from her research in Gunung Kidul, cassava product proved to improve the performance of bligon goats because of its high energy content and protein.

 

“The use of king grass as the single alkali feed for goat parent during lactation only increased some 30.4 gram of its weight per day. Meanwhile, the weight of bligon goat given king grass and additional dry cassava leaves increased by 88.0 – 90.1 gram per day,” she explained to the board of examiners in an open examination of doctoral program. The improvement of animal feed for the parent will influence the weight of its off-spring up to 83.9-95.7 gram per day.

The UGM's 1187th doctor mentioned that the use of cassava proved  to reduce the risk of diarrhea in livestocks. The fresh cassava leaves contain high tannin of 11%BK while dry cassava leaves 4.09% BK. Tannin compound is potential as natural anthelmintics and antioxidant. The effect of tannin as anthelmintics can prevent the growth of nematode worm larvae, reduce population of adult worms, reduce fecundity of female adult worms, and reduce the amount of eggs excreted through feces.

 

Further, Sri Wigati said that the habit to use king grass as the single feed with fertilization using goat’s drop as manure possibly causes high contamination of gastro-intestinal parasite. Nematode worm infection simultaneously with coccidian infection will cause mild to severe clinical diarrhea. “The use of king grass as the single feed for bligon goat causes high prevalence of diarrhea (62.5%). Meanwhile, the use of dry cassava leaves as substitute for some parts of the king grass can reduce the prevalence up to 0%,” she explained.