In Vitro Digestibility of Timor-Leste Native Grass Supplemented with Leucaena leucephala and Corypa elata Robx.

Abstract

This research was aimed to study the effect of supplementing lamtoro (Leucaena leucephala) leaves and/or putak (Corypha elata Robx.) on in vitro dry matter and organic matter digestibility of native grass of Timor-Leste. Native grass used in this study was collected from natural pasture in Balibo sub-district, Bobonaro district, Timor-Leste. In this study, a 3×3 factorial design was used, with the type of supplement (native grass + Leucaena, G+L; native grass + putak, G+P; or native grass + Leucaena and putak, G+L+P) and level of supplement (10, 15, or 20%) as the main factors. All dietary treatments were incubated in rumen fluid mixture collected from two fistulated Bali cattle using a 2-stage in vitro technique. The supplements (Leucaena and/or Corypha elata Robx) were added into grass samples at 4 h after the grasses were incubated. Results showed that the in vitro dry matter and organic matter digestibility of the G+P treatments were greater than those on the G+L and G+L+P (43.4 vs. 40.8, 36.6% and 49.9 vs. 46.5, 40.1%, respectively; P<0.05), with the greatest values on the G+P treatment. No significant effects were detected among treatments with different levels of supplement, as well as on the interaction between the 2 factors. It can be concluded that supplementing putak/Corypha elata Robx at 4 h after feeding can improve the dry matter and organic matter digestibility of native grasses.