The experiment was carried out to estimate the feeding value of mulberry (Morus alba) leaf meal by evaluating its chemical composition in vitro organic matter digestibility and in sacco dry matter (DM) degradability. This study aimed to assess the potential of mulberry foliage in supplementing the feed of ruminant animals during the dry season, when other feed resources are scarce and their quality generally fall short of animal requirements. Dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ash, ether extract (EE), crude fiber (CF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) contents of the different diets were determined. In vitro organic matter digestibility was determined by two-stage method. In sacco rumen degradability was measured using three rumen fistulated Boran-Holstein Friesian cross steers at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. The composition of mulberry leaf meal compares favorably with that of the concentrate mixture in most of the nutrients. The ash content of mulberry leaf meal was more than double that of the concentrate mixture. Similarly, the calcium value of mulberry leaf meal was more than threefold to that of calcium content of concentrate mixture. Mulberry leaf meal alone had the greatest values for slowly degradable fraction (b) than the diets with less proportion of mulberry, whereas mulberry leaf meal alone (T5) and 75 g concentrate mix + 259.7 g mulberry leaf (T4) had significantly (p>0.05) less soluble fraction (a), and effective degradability (ED) values as compared to the diets with less proportion of mulberry. In a nutshell, all treatment diets recorded more than 66% DM degradability at 24 h, which implied that they were all greatly degradable in the rumen. 

 

Key words: Chemical composition, degradability, digestibility, Morus alba.