MARDI Res.Bull.

(1956)14(2),(178-tBB)

FORAGE PRODUCTIVITY OF THREE FODDER SHRUBSIN MALAYSIA

C.C. WONG* and M.A. MOHD. SHARUDIN*
Keywords:Leucaena,Cassava,Gliricidia sepium,Napier, Forageproductivity,
In vitro dry matter digestibilities,Mineral composition.

RINGKASAN
Tiga tanaman foder iaitu Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala dan Manihot esculenta
bersama spesieskawalan, napier, dinilai bagi mengkaji pengeluaran forej dengan pembajaan dan tanpa
pembajaan nitrogen, serta dengan tiga jarak masa pemotongan iaitu 4, 8 dan 12 minggu. Napier
memberikan hasil bahan kering paling tinggi (15.6 Vha/tahun) diikuti oleh M. esculenta(6.2 Vhaltahun),
L. leucocephala (5.5 t/ha/tahun) dan G. sepium (2.1 t/ha/tahun). Pada amnya, hasil bahan kering
bertambah dengan meningkatnya jarak masa pemotongan serta pemberian baja nitrogen. Penghadaman
bahan kering in vitro foder-foder jenis dicot adalah rendah tetapi kandungan nitrogen dan zat galian
lebih tinggi daripada napier. Leucaena leucocephala mempunyai daya pulih yang paling tinggi dan
napier pula paling rendah. Asid hidrosianik di dalam daun M. esculenta adalah tinggi tetapi menurun
dengan bertambahnya jarak masa pemotongan.

INTRODUCTION growth performanceof three fodder species

compared with napier grass' Pennisetum
In Malaysia, smallholdersform the purpureumschrumach'
bulk of ruminant rearerswhoseanimalsare
normally kept in a semi-intensive
systemof
feeding on poor quality crop residues, MATERIALS AND METHODS
agricultural by-products and indigenous
forages from roadsides and plantation The experiment was conducted in
holdings.Although the indigenousforages February 1979 at MARDI Research
could be improved through cultivation of Station, Serdang,on well-drained Bungor
improvedtropicalgrasses and legumes,such seriessoil that had been previouslyunder
an undertaking has never been adopted rubber cultivationuntil 1971.
largelybecauseof the small farm size.
The soil pH at the site was 4.2 and the
To overcome the constraint, fodder chemical properties were well reported by
trees and shrubs which are the natural Leevy and PnNroN (1966). The climate
endowment of the humid tropical habitats, was wet, humid tropical with no distinct
have been recommended as potential high- seasonal variation except for a short dry
protein forages (SxenveN, 1977; Gout, period between June and August (ANoN.,
1981; DeveNoRe, 1984). Leucaena re66).
leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit is one such
fodder shrub which has become increasingly
The treatmentswere:
popular as a village forage and green
manure in the tropics (JoNEs,1979; ANoN., Defoliation Nitrogen
Fodder species
1984). More recently, Gliricidia sepium interval fertilization
(Jacq.) Walp. and Manihot esculenta Crantz
Gliricidia (G. sepium) No nitrogen
were promoted as potential fodder shrubs (control)
for ruminant production (DeveNona ,1977; I-eucaena
CHRoHoxeR and KINTHaRAJU, 1980). (L. leucocephala w. Peru) &week 150kg N,ftaiyr
(asuea)
This paper reports the effects of defo- Cassava (M. escuknta var.
liation frequencies and nitrogen fertilization Black Twig) 12-week
on dry matter (DM) productivity and Napier (P purpurewn)

*Livestock Research Division, MARDI,

Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

t78
The experimentaldesign was a split-split
plot with three replications.The main plots
were defoliation intervals, sub-plots were
nitrogenfertilizationand sub-sub-plotswere
fodder species.
Cassavaand napier were all planted
flat vegetativelyfrom 15-cm stem cuttings
while 50-cmstem cuttingsof gliricidia were
planted erect. Leucaena was sown from
seeds, inoculated with Rhizobium CB8l.
The plantingdistancewas0.5 m x 0.5 m in a
plot size of 5 m x 5 m, with one-metre
border width betweenplots.
All plots receiveda basal fertilizer of
30 kg P/ha as triple superphosphate and 50
kg IVha as muriate of potashafter planting.
The maintenancefertilizerswere40 kg P/ha/
yr and 100 kg Klhalyr split every three
months. In addition, all leucaena plots
receivedan initial dressingof 500 kg/ha of
dolomite before sowins.
Two rounds of hand-weedingwere
carriedout at four weeksafter plantingand
six weeksafter the last weeding.An overall
cut wasimposedon all plots in October 1979
before commencementof defoliation treat-
ments. Owing to the poor regrowth of
leucaena and gliricidia, their defoliation
treatmentswere deferredfor six months.
All fodder species were hand-
harvestedto a 50-cmcutting height except
napier which received a 1.5-cm cutting
height. The harvestedmaterialsfrom each
plot were weighed fresh, sub-sampledand
oven-dried overnight in an air-forced
draughtdehydratorat 80"Celsius.The dried
sampleswere weighedfor DM yield estima-
tion. When the different defoliation
intervals coincided on a common harvest
date, the sub-sampleswere separatedinto
leaf and stem portions for leaf:stem ratio
(DM) determination.
All dried sampleswith the common
harvestdateswere ground to passthrough
1"mm screen for nitrogen and mineral
compositionanalyses.Nitrogen was deter-
179
mined by the Kjeldahl digestiontechnique
while phosphorus, potassium, calcium,
magnesium,manganese,iron, copper, zinc
and boron by the standard auto-analyser
technique (A.O.A.C., 1970), and in vitro
DM digestibility(IVDMD) by the method
of McLBoo and MrNsorq(1978).The hydro-
cyanic acid (HCN) releasedfrom cassava
leaves was determined by Guignards test
(INntne and SrNue, 1969). Plant survival
percentage,measuredas persistenceof the
species, was taken at the end of the
experiment.
All data obtainedwere subjectedto an
analysis of variance for a split-split-plot
design.
RESULTS
Rainfall
The monthly rainfall at the experi-
mental site for the duration of the defolia-
tion treatments(January1980- November
1982)is depictedin FigureIa. Mean annual
rainfall for the experimental period was
22ffi mm with June 1981and January1982
being the two driest months. The rainfall
pattern could be describedas normal and
was favourablefor plant growth.
Establishment
All plots were well establishedwithin
one month after planting except gliricidia
which required about 30Vooverall replace-
ment. Growth of cassavaand napier was
vigorousand the plants had to be cut twice
prior to the overall defoliation. The slow
establishmentof leucaena and gliricidia
resulted in deferred defoliation for six
months.
The major dicot weed in the plots was
Boreria latifolia Schumachwhich declined
over time. Lallang, carpet grass, buffalo
grass and creeping panic grass were the
common monocot weeds which persisted
throughoutthe experiment.There were no
major plant diseasesand pest problems
 12000 P. purpureum - 0 kg N/ha/yr
----- 150kg N/ha/yr
' 4-weeklycut
o 8-weeklycut
10000 x l2-weeklycut

8 000
€
d
&

6 000
l.

4 000

2 000

E 400
: 300
Ezcn
5 1oo
& 0
J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J
J A S O N D
l98o 1981 19Bz
Month of year

Figure 1a. Monthly rainfall and dry matterproduction of Pennisetumpurpureum

of time and defoliation intervals with and without nitrogen
exceptin gliricidia where the young shoots
were heavily infested with Brachyplatys
species. Consequently, growth was
retarded.
Effect of Defoliation Interval on DM yield
The DM yields of the four fodder
speciesgenerallydeclinedover time under
the three defoliationintervalsand nitrogen
fertilization treatments with marfed
depressionin the 4-weeklycut (FiguresIa-
1d).
Harvestswith high DM production in
all the defoliation intervals appeared to
coincide with periods of high rainfall,
especiallyat the start of the experiment.
However, DM yields of the four fodder
species under the defoliation treatments
were not well correlated.
as a function
fertiiizaiion at Serdaig.
The mean annualDM yield for the 4-
weeklycut was significantlylower (p<0.05)
than the 8 and 12-weeklycuts which were
not significantlydifferent (Table l). Mean
annual DM yields were, however, signifi-
cantly different (P<0.05) amongthe fodder
species and their interactions between
speciesand defoliationintervals.
Napier was by far the highest DM
yiefder with about 16 tlha/yr followed by
cassavaand leucaenawith an averageof 6 t/
halyear.Poor regrowthof gliricidiaresulted
in low DM production (2 tlha/yr).
Prolonged cutting interval increased
the mean total DM yield in all the fodder
speciesexceptfor leucaenaand gliricidia at
l2-week cutting interval which were lower
than the S-weeklycut (TableI).

180
 6 000 M. esculenta
- 0 kg N/ha/yr
----- .l50
kg N/ha/yr
o 4 - w e e k l yc u t
o 8 - w e e k l yc u t
5 000 x l 2 - w e e k l yc u t

4 000
-b

o
3 000
o

2m0

I 000

0
J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N
1980 l98l 1982
Month of year

Figure |b. Dry matterproduction of Manihot esculentaas a function of time and defoliation
intervals with and without nitrogenfertilization at Serdang..
2 ZOO L. Ieucocephala

- 0 kg N/ha/yr
----- 1 5 0k g N / h a / y r
o 4-weeklycut
o 8-weeklycut
x l 2 - w e e k l yc u t

ts

t9,
\.1
.\

200

0
J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N . D ' J F M A M J J ' A S ' O N
1980/1981 1982
Month of year

Figure |c. Dry matterproduction of Leucaenaleucocephalacv. Peru as a function of time and

defoliation intervals with and without nitrogen fertilization at Serdang.

181
 G. sepium
\
- 0 kg N/ha/yr
150kg Nihaiyr
o 4-weeklycut
8-weeklycut
X 12-weeklycut

E 6T-,U

o 400

'o.

-:(

N ' D ' J F F
l 980/1981 1982
Month of year

Figure Id. Dry matter production of Gliricidia sepium as a function of time and defoliation
intervals with and without nitrogen fertilization at Serdang.

Effect of Nitrogen on DM Yield on the leaf:stemratio in all the four fodder

The nitrogenfertilizer at 150kg N/ha/
yr significantlyincreased (P<0.05)the mean
annualDM yield (Table1). A25% increase
wasobtainedover that of the control across
all defoliation intervals and species.
Gliricidia produced the highest (59.7Vo)
annual DM yield in responseto nitrogen
fertilization. Cassavaand napier responded
positivelywith an increaseof 34Voand 24Vo
in DM production respectively while
leucaenahad an 8Vo increase.The interac-
tions between speciesand nitrogen were
also significant(P<0.05).
Leaf:stemRatio
No significant differences were
detectedin the nitrogenfertilizer treatment
species although the ratios of the dicot
fodderstended to be lower in the nitrogen
appliedtreatment.Nevertheless, leaf:stem
ratio declined significantly (P<0.05) with
increasein defoliationintervals(Table 1).
Again, gliricidia producedthe highest
leaf:stem ratio followed by leucaenaand
cassava.Napier, being a fast grower, was
lowest in leaf:stemratio in all the defolia-
tion regimes.
In Vitro DM Digestibility (IVDMD)
The effects of nitrogen fertilization on
MMD was not significant but IVDMD
declinedsignificantly(P<0.05) from 5l.3Vo
in the 4-weekly cut to 42.3Voin the 12-
weekly cut (Table2).

t82
Table 1. Effectsof defoliationintervalsand nitrogen fertilizationon mean annualdry matter
production and leaf:stem(DM) ratio of 4 fodder species

Dry matter yield (kg/ha/yr)

Treatment
Napier Cassava Leucaena Gliricidia Mean

Defoliation intewal
4-wk 10 ,149(3.1 3 426(7.2 ) 4 2 r r ( e . 2) 1 690 (11.3) 4944b
8-wk t7 744 (1.3 6 2s8(3.6) 7 2r3 (2.s) 3 203 ( 4.8) 8 6O4a
12-wk 18 s06 (0.7 8 99e(1.0) 4ee 0.s) 1 315 ( 4.0) 8 446a
Nitrogen fertilization
(kg N/ha/yr)
0 (control) 13929(r.49) s 322(4.ss) s 239(s.M) 1 594 (8.41) 6 52rc
150 r7 2M (r.68) 7 r33 (2.77) s 68s(4.80) 2 s46 (6.07) 8 r42d
Mean 15 567a(1.59) 6 228b(3.6) 5 462b(4.93) 2 Uk(7.24) 7 332
Speciesx nitrogen interactionswere significant at P<0.05.
Means with the samesubscriptwithin and between columns for each treatment are not significant at P<0.05.
Valuesin ( ) indicateleaf:stemratios.

Table 2. Effects of defoliation intervalson the in vitro dry matter digestibilitiesof 4 fodder
species

In vitro dry matter digestibilities (%)

Treatment
4-wk 8-wk l2-wk Mean

Fodder species
Napier 5s.8 50.4 44.0 50.1a
Cassava 49.7 48.9 47.9 48.8ab
[,eucaena 49.0 q.l 32.8 40.6c
Gliricidia 50.6 48.1 44.6 47.8b
Mean 51.3a 46.9b 42.3c 46.8
Nitrogen fertilization (kg N/haiyr)
0 (control) 52.9 48.5 44.4 48.6d
150 49.6 45.2 q.2 45.0e
Means with the same subscriptwithin or between columns for each treatment are not significant at P<0.05.

Napier was highestin IVDMD which there were significantdifferences(P<0.05)

ranged from 55.8Voto 44.0Vofor the 4 to 12-
weekly cut. The IVDMDs of cassavaand
gliricidia declined by about ZVo and 6Vo
respectivelywith the samedefoliation treat-
ment. Leucaenawas the lowest in IVDMD
in all the defoliationintervals.
Nitrogen and Minerd Composition
The effects of nitrogen fertilization
and defoliationintervalson the nitrogenand
mineral concentrationswere generally not
significant (P<0.05) except for nitrogen,
potassium and zinc (Table 3). However,
in the nitrogen and mineral profile among
the four fodder specieswith the exceptionof
copper and iron.
Leucaena forage had the highest
nitrogen and magnesiumcontents. Napier
was lowest (1.5Vo) in nitrogen while
gliricidiawaslowestin magnesium(0.l1Vo).
Cassavaforage was richer in phosphorus,
potassium,calcium,manganese, copperand
zinc. Generally, the mineral contents of
napier were lower than in the other fodder
species.The calciumto phosphorus(Ca : P)
ratio was greater than two in the dicot

183
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184
fodder speciesexcept napier which had a Table 5. The effects of defoliation
valueof slightlybelow one. The Ca : P ratio intervals on hydrocyanic acid content in
increasedslightlywith increaseddefoliation foliaee of cassava
intervals.
Defoliation HCN content
Plant Survival interval (mg/kg of fresh foliage)

The influenceof nitrogen fertilization
on the plant survivalcount at the end of the
experiment was not significant in all the
speciesbut increasedcutting interval signifi-
cantlyenhanced(P<0.05) the plant survival
percentagein all the speciesexceptgliricidia
(Table4),
Leucaena was the most persistent
fodder. Cassavaranked second with over
70Vosuwivalin the 8 and 12-weeklycutsbut
only 29.2Voin the 4-weeklycut. Napier was
the least persistent of the four fodder
species.
Hydrocyanic Acid
The hydrocyanic acid content in
cassavaleaveswas not only high but also
varied widely. Over 1.1 g of HCN/kg of
fresh cassavaleaveswas detectedin the 4-
weekly cut but it declined with increased
cutting intervals(Table5).
DISCUSSION
Of the two treatments,namelydefolia-
tion intervals and nitrogen fertilization on
4-wk 1 100
8-wk 788
l2-wk 4U
forage production and mineral composition
among the fodder species,nitrogen fertiliza-
tion had the least effect with the exception
of napier which showed its superiority as a
fodder plant in DM yield to nitrogen fertili-
zation in all the defoliation intervals.Its DM
yield was at least 60Vo more than those of
the other fodder species. Being a Ca plant,
napier was generally more productive in dry
matter than the other C3 plants (Luolow
and Wrr-sor.r, 1972). Despite its high DM
productivity, napier was poor in persistence
(<50Vo plant survival) in all the defoliation
intervals, lower in leaf:stem ratio, nitrogen
content and mineral concentrations.
Cassava ranked second in terms of
forage yield in all the defoliation intervals.
Its yield was as good as that of leucaena in
the 4 and 8-weekly cuts and even out-
yielded leucaena at the 12-weekly cut
regime. A total of 3.4-9.0 tonnes of DM
was obtained (Table 1). A fresh foliage yield
of 6.7 tlhalyr was also reported for Black

Table 4. Effects of defoliation intervals and nitrogen fertilization on plant survival count
of 4 fodder species at the end of the experiment

Plant survival cotnt (Vo\

Treatment
4-wk 8-wk 12-wk Mean

Fodder species
Napier 44.9 41.7 50.5 45.7d
Cassava 29.2 76.8 78.6 61.5c
Leucaena 83.3 81.5 90.3 85.0a
Gliricidia 81.1 66.7 70.8 72.9b
Mean 59.6b 66.7b 72.6a 6.3
Nitrogen fertilization (kg N/ha/yr)
0 (control) 60.2 67.8 71.7 66.6e
150 59.0 65.6 73.4 66.0e
Means with the same subscript within or between columns for each treatment are not significant at P<0.05.

185
Twig (cassava)under a 6-weeklydefoliation
in Serdang(AHuno, 1973).The 8-weekly
cut appeared to be the optimum harvest
interval as 4-weeklycut was detrimentalto
its persistenceand 12-weeklycut resultedin
lower leaf:stem ratio with no significant
differences in total DM production
comparedwith that of the S-weeklycut. As
a non-legume,cassavawasresponsive(34Vo
increase)to nitrogenfertilization (Table 1).
Ease of establishment and rapid
growth of cassavaare the two agronomic
attributesthat could confer advantagesover
leucaena as a fodder. In addition, the
mineral concentrations of cassava were
higher than those of leucaena (Table 3).
Leucaenais always slow in establishment
and requiresheavy liming in tropical acidic
soils for high DM productivity (WoNc,
lzrrl^u and Dp,veNone,1980).
However, the major constraint in
usingcassavaforageis the presenceof high
HCN which is a deterrentto its use.Feeding
foragewith 180-240 mg/kg of fresh cassava
foliage to local goats produced chronic
toxicity and even death (DeveNDRA,1977).
It thus appearsthat direct use of cassava
foliage by livestock will be restricted and
someforms of processingmay be necessary
to reduce the HCN content. Sun-dried
cassavafoliage had been used by small-
holders without detrimental effects and
incorporationof 25Vafresh cassavafoliage
into a grassdiet also improved liveweight
gains in cattle (Moone, 1976). Possibly,
screeningfor varietieswith low foliageHCN
may help to overcomethe HCN toxicity.
The leucaenaforageyieldsobtainedin
all the defoliationregimeswere rather low.
Suchlow productivitiesin dry matter were
attributedto the low dolomite applicationat
establishment.A minimum liming rate of
2 tlha was recommended for effective
establishmentand high forageyield (THerr.r,
WoNc and Alrr, 1977; WoNc and
DEvnNonR,1983).The lower DM yield at
12-weeklycut comparedwith that of the 8-
weekly cut could be attributed to the initial
186
poor growth and interspecific competitions
arising from the tall, fast growing species
like cassavaand napier in the neighbouring
plots. Also, leucaena showed no benefits
from the nitrogen fertilization at the 72-
weekly cut.
Nonetheless, leucaena persisted well
with over 90Vo suwival in all the defoliation
intervals as had been observed in Australia
(JoNes and HRRRrsoN,1980).The 8-weekly
cut appeared to be the optimum harvest
interval since longer cutting intervals also
resulted in lower DM productivity in
leucaena (MnNoozn, AlreuantNo and
JevrER, 1976). Its IVDMD was somewhat
low as reported elsewhere (IzHeu, CHnN
and AsouLLnH, 1983) but GRervr, PEREz,
VnN Sopsr and McDoNer-o (1973) and
JoNEs (1979) indicated high IVDMD.
The performance of gliricidia was by
far the worst among the four fodder species.
Establishment of gliricidia on Bungor series
soil was poor and regrowth was not
encouraging compared with those of cassava
and leucaena. During the wet seasons, the
young shoots were heavily attacked by
Brachyplatys species. Gliricidia responded
significantly to the nitrogen fertilization
because of its poor regrowth.
The poor performance of gliricidia at
Serdang was a big contrast to the good
establishment and growth on a similar soil in
Jasin, Malacca (Wru-s, 1980). In Sri Lanka,
a DM yield of 9 tlha had been reported
(CHnonoxen, 1982). Despite its low yield
and slow regrowth, its IVDMD, and
nitrogen and mineral concentrations were
comparable if not higher than those of
cassava and leucaena. Owing to its avail-
ability as shade plants in cocoa plantations,
its forage potential, therefore, will be in the
integration of ruminants in such an
environment.
The dicot fodder species could not
outyield napier in DM production. How-
ever, their high nitrogen content and
mineral constituents coupled with high
persistencetould surpassnapier as good
quality forage supplementsfor long-term
ruminant livestockproductionin the small-
holdings. Although their IVDMDs were
generally lower than that of napier, the
IVDMDs were not different from those of
many other tropical legumes(Relo, Posr,
Or-sBNand Mucnnwe, 1973).Besides,their
nitrogen utilization and retention were
enhanced in goats and sheep, and
consequentlymore efficientuseof nutrients
was demonstratedby DeveNonn (1983).
The statusof the mineralelementsaswell as
the Ca : P ratio examinedsuggests adequacy
except for copper, phosphorus and
magnesiumwhich may be supplementedto
meet the higher nutritional requirementsof
the large dairy ruminants.
It thus seemsthat much use can be
madeof the variousfodder speciesand their
inclusionin the dietsof the ruminantsunder
semi-extensive system as practised in
villagescan promote better use of available
forage resources for efficient ruminant
production.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to express their
appreciation to the field staff for their
assistance,Mr Ahmad Shokri Hj. Othman
for statistical analyses and the Central
Analytical Servicesfor chemicalanalyses.

ABSTRACT

Three fodder shrubscomprisingGliricidia sepium, LeucaenaleucocephalaandManihot esculenta

together with the control species,napier, were evaluated for forage productivity with and without
nitrogen fertilization and under 4, 8 and 12-weekcutting intervals. Napier was the best yielder in dry
matter (15.6 t/ha/yr) followedby M. esculenta(6.2tlhalyr), L. leucocephala(5.5 t/ha/yr) and G. sepium
(2.1 t/ha/yr). Dry matter yields generally increased with increased cutting intervals and nitrogen
fertilization. In vitro dry matter digestibilities of the dicot fodders were low but their nitrogen ind
mineral contents were higher than those of napier. Leucaenaleucocephalawas the most persistent
fodder with napier the least. Hydrocyanic acid in the foliage of M. esculentawas high but declinedwith
increasedcutting intervals.

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Animal Productionfor Human Welfure,Tokyo,
1983,Vol. 2, pp. 543-4.
Goxr-, B. (1981). Gliricidia maculata H.B.K. (G.
sepium). ln Tropical Feeds: feed information
summariesand nutrilive valuesp. 164. Rome :
FAO.

Cu.lonoran, P.A. and Kerruene.lu, H.R. (1980). Gnnln, R.J., Prnez, J.R.C.B.,Vlx Sonsr,p.J. and
Effects of Gliricidia maculata on growth and McDoNer-o, R.E. (1973).C.ompositionand rn
breeding of Bannur ewes. Trop. Grassld. 14, vitro tn')e digestion of some Philippine feed-
78-82. stuffs.Phr7.,1.Anim. Sci. 10,63-73.

r87
Twig (cassava)under a 6-weeklydefoliation
in Serdang(AHuno, 1973).The 8-weekly
cut appearedto be the optimum harvest
interval as 4-weeklycut was detrimentalto
its persistenceand 12-weeklycut resultedin
lower leaf:stem ratio with no significant
differences in total DM production
comparedwith that of the 8-weeklycut. As
a non-legume,cassavawasresponsive(34Vo
increase)to nitrogen fertilization (Table1).
Ease of establishment and rapid
growth of cassavaare the two agronomic
attributesthat could confer advantagesover
leucaena as a fodder. In addition, the
mineral concentrations of cassava were
higher than those of leucaena (Table 3).
Leucaenais always slow in establishment
and requiresheavy liming in tropical acidic
soils for high DM productivity (WoNc,
IzHnu and DevBNone,1980).
However, the major constraint in
usingcassavaforageis the presenceof high
HCN which is a deterrentto its use.Feeding
foragewith 180-240 mg/kg of fresh cassava
foliage to local goats produced chronic
toxicity and even death (DeveNDRA,1977).
It thus appearsthat direct use of cassava
foliage by livestock will be restricted and
someforms of processingmay be necessary
to reduce the HCN content. Sun-dried
cassavafoliage had been used by small-
holders without detrimental effects and
incorporationof 25Vafresh cassavafoliage
into a grassdiet also improved liveweight
gains in cattle (Moone, 1976). Possibly,
screeningfor varietieswith low foliageHCN
may help to overcomethe HCN toxicity.
The leucaenaforageyieldsobtainedin
all the defoliationregimeswere rather low.
Such low productivitiesin dry matter were
attributedto the low dolomiteapplicationat
establishment.A minimum liming rate of
2 tlha was recommended for effective
establishmentand high forageyield (THnrra,
WoNc and AJrr, 19771, WoNc and
DEveNone, 1983).The lower DM yield at
12-weeklycut comparedwith that of the 8-
weekly cut could be attributed to the initial
186
poor growth and interspecific competitions
arising from the tall, fast growing species
like cassavaand napier in the neighbouring
plots. Also, leucaena showed no benefits
from the nitrogen fertilization at the 12-
weekly cut.
Nonetheless, leucaena persisted well
with over 90Vo suwival in all the defoliation
intervals as had been observed in Australia
(JoNes and HennrsoN, 1980). The 8-weekly
cut appeared to be the optimum harvest
interval since longer cutting intervals also
resulted in lower DM productivity in
leucaena (MeNoozn, AlreuenrNo and
Jevren, 1976). Its IVDMD was somewhat
low as reported elsewhere (IzHnlr, CHeN
and AenuI-t-nu, 1983) but GneNr, Pensz,
VnN Soesr and McDoNer-o (1973) and
JoNes (1979) indicated high IVDMD.
The performance of gliricidia was by
far the worst among the four fodder species.
Establishment of gliricidia on Bungor series
soil was poor and regrowth was not
encouraging compared with those of cassava
and leucaena. During the wet seasons, the
young shoots were heavily attacked by
Brachyplatys species. Gliricidia responded
significantly to the nitrogen fertilization
because of its poor regrowth.
The poor performance of gliricidia at
Serdang was a big contrast to the good
establishment and growth on a similar soil in
Jasin, Malacca (Wrr-ls, 1980). In Sri Lanka,
a DM yield of 9 tlha had been reported
(CHnoHoxnn, 1982). Despite its low yield
and slow regrowth, its IVDMD, and
nitrogen and mineral concentrations were
comparable if not higher than those of
cassava and leucaena. Owing to its avail-
ability as shade plants in cocoa plantations,
its forage potential, therefore, will be in the
integration of ruminants in such an
environment.
The dicot fodder species could not
outyield napier in DM production. How-
ever, their high nitrogen content and
mineral constituents coupled with high
INDIRA, P. and SrNH,c.,S.K. (1969). Colorimetric
method for determinationof HCN in tubers and
leaves of cassava(Manihot esculentaCrantz).
Ind. J. agric. Sci.39, | 021-3.
Izuru, A., CurN, C.P. and Asout-t-ax, H.M. (1983).
The performance of five selected Leucaena
Ieucocephalaassessionson sandy soil in Penin-
sular Malaysia. ASPAC Food and Fertilizer
Tech.CenterExt. Bull. No. 198,22-35.
Joxrs, R.J. (1979).Value of Leucaenaleucocephalaas
a feed for ruminants in the tropics. Wld. Anim.
Rev. 31, 13-23.
JorEs, R.M. and Hennlsox, R.E. (1980).Note on the
survival of individual plants of Leucaena
leucocephalain grazed stands. Trop. Agric.,
Trin. 57,265-6.
LEAMv,M.L. and PANroN,W.P.C. (1966).Soil survey
manual for Malaysianconditions.Div. Agrk.
Bull. No. 119.
LuDLow, M.M. and WuoN, G.L. (1972). Photo-
synthesisof tropical pasture plants. IV. Basis
and consequencesof differencesbetween grass
and legumes.Aust. L Biol. Sci.24, | 133-45.
Mclroo, M.N. and MrNsoN, D.J. (1978). The
accuracy of the pepsin-cellulasetechnique for
estimatingthe dry matter digestibility in vivo of
grassesand legumes.Anim. FeedsSci. Techn.3,
277-87 .
MENDoZA, R.C., Alr,lur.nrNo, T.P. and Jevren,
E.Q. (1976). Herbage crude protein, and
digestibledry matter yield of ipil-ipil (Leucaena
latisiligua cv. Peru) in hedgerows. Philipp. J.
Crop. Sci.1,149-53.
Acceptedfor publication on 30 July 1986
188
Moonp, C.P. (1976).The utilizationof cassavaforage
in ruminant feeding. Proc. Seminarin Tropical
LivestockProducts,Acupulco, 1976,pp. 2l-39.
REID,R.L., Posr, A.J., OneN, F.I. and Mucsnwr,
J.S. (1973).Studieson the nutritive quality of
grassesand legumesin Uganda. Application of
in vitro digestibility technique to species and
stageof growth effects. Trop. Agric., Trin. 50,
1-15.
Srenuex, PJ. (1977).The browsespecies.lnTropical
ForagelegumesChap. 15,p. 508. Rome : FAO.
Tn,tr, K.C., WoNc, C.C. and Arn, S.S. (1977).
Establishmentof Leucaenaleucocephalaon acid
inland soilsof PeninsularMalaysia.I. Effect of
lime, inoculation,pelletingand phosphoruson
the establishmentof L. leucocephala.MARDI
Res.Bull. 5(2),10-20.
WIrts, G.A. (1980). Establishment of Gliricidia
maculatain Bungor seriessoil.Planters56,'128-
36.
WoNc, C.C. and Dsvrxone, C. (1983).Researchon
leucaenaforage production in Malaysia. Proc.
Workshop on LeucaenaResearchin the Asian-
PacificRegion,Singapore,1982,pp. 55-60.
WoNc, C.C., Izsau, A. and DsvsNou, C. (1980).
Agronomic performance and utilization of
Leucaenaleucocephalacv. Peru in Peninsular
Malaysia. Proc. lst Asian-Australian Animal
Sci. Congr. on Animal Productionand Health in
the Tropics,Serdang,1980,pp. 369-74.
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