EVALUATION OF EIGHT SELECTED ETHIOPIAN INDIGENOUS FORAGE SPECIES FOR THEIR NUTRITIVE VALUES ......

In Ethiopia, forage plants native to the country account for the majority of livestock feed. Their potential as a cattle feed, on the other hand, is sometimes neglected. As a result, the purpose of this research is to determine the nutritional value of eight Ethiopian indigenous fodder species. At Wondogent medical field gene bank, the experiment was carried out utilising a completely randomised design. With the exception of Medicago sativa, the results showed that Pennisetum pedicellatum (91.72%) and Medicago polymorpha (91.68%) had significantly greater dry matter (DM) levels than other forage species (P0.001). Except for Medicago sativa, Pennisetum pedicellatum had the greatest ash content (15.46%) of all the species (P0.001), but Medicago polymorpha had the highest organic matter (OM) content (90.80%). Vicia species exhibited a greater crude protein (CP) concentration (19.03%) than Medicago sativa (13.57%), Medicago lupulina (12.36%), Medicago polymorpha (11.57%), and Pennisetum pedicellatum (11.57%). (7.47 percent ). Except for Sebania grandiflora, Pennisetum pedicellatum (76.23 percent) had the highest (P0.05) neutral detergent fibre (NDF), but Sesbania sesban had the lowest (P0.05) NDF value. The percentage of acid detergent fibre (ADF) was significantly greater in Medicago lupulina (53.80%), while Sesbania sesban had lower ADF (39.42%) and ADF (39.42%). (34.04 percent ). However, there was no significant difference between these two species in terms of acid detergent lignin (ADL), metabolizable energy (ME), or in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM). With the exception of Pennisetum pedicellatum, these forage plants have a moderate CP and reduced fibre content, indicating that they have excellent nutritional value and should be given special attention.

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