Digestibility and Nutritional Value of Gedi (Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik) Leaves Meal in the Diet of Broilers

Abstract

A study was carried out to determine the nutrient utilization and nutrient value of gedi (Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik) leaves meal, a native plant that abundant in the Northern- Sulawesi of Indonesia, when substituted at various levels in the diets. Sixteen adult broiler chickens Cobb-CP 707 35 days of age were conducted in metabolic cages and allocated in four groups of four birds each to determine AME and AMEn, crude protein and crude bre digestibility. Birds were corresponded to four dietary treatments containing respectively 0, 5, 10, and 15% gedi leaves meal. Birds were weighed at the beginning and at the end, collected fresh excreta were weighed daily and the droppings were oven-dried at 55 °C and ground per bird for three days. Experimental diets and collected excreta were subjected to chemical analysis. The results showed that the gedi (Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medik) leaves were relatively rich in crude protein (20.18%), crude ber (17.53), calcium (3,29%), lysine NDF (20.76%) and positively have steroid and avonoid. The inclusion of gedi leaves in the diet highly signi cant (P˂0.01) decreased AME and AMEn and signi cantly (P˂0.05) decreased crude protein and crude ber digestibilty. Gedi leaves in diets improved the metabolizable energy utilization in birds fed the 5% level and improved crude protein and crude ber utilization in birds fed 10% level inclusion diet. Gedi was rich in sticky mucilage, a soluble-polysaccharide, that affected to rate of passage of digesta. It can be concluded that gedi leaves meal can be fed to broiler chickens at up to 10%, and results suggested that adding gedi leaves to broiler diets may bene t after processing the mucilage.