Effect of voluntary intake of Leucaena leucocephala on the rumen degradation of organic matter in sheep

Abstract

The effect of intake of Leucaena leucocephala on ruminal degradation MO of Pennisetum purpureum and L. Leucocephala was studied. The experiment was conducted at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Yucatán. Nine sheep fitted with rumen cannulated, three per treatment with an average weight of 34 ± 3.45 kg were evaluated. Treatment were: T1 grass only, T2 leucaena (40%) + grass (60%) and T3  leucaena (20%) + grass (80%). The in situ degradation technique was used to assess digestibility of both materials. Both, P. Purpureum and L. Leucocephala had a higher degradation rate (%h) when incubated in T2 and T3 than T1 (P<0.05). However, degradation parameters a and b were similar for both substrates in all treatments (P>0.05).  It was concluded that the incorporation of leucaena in the diet promotes a higher OM degradation rate