COUMARIN IN GLIRICIDIA SEPIUM THE EFFECT OF AGE AND CUTTING TIME AND ITS EFFECT ON INTAKE BY SHEEP

Abstract

Coumarin is one of phenolic compounds found in Gliricidia sepium. Its characteristic smell caused low palatability on ruminant that has not been adapted to it. The experiment chose 3 provenances of Gliricidia collected by Oxford Forestry Institute GS1137.51, 1137.39 and 1137.48 represented Gliricidia with low, medium and high coumarin content, respectively. Three replicated on each type were observed and each replicate consisted of 6 trees planted in row (hl m distance) and only leaves from 4 trees inside the row that being collected, freeze dried and analyzed for its coumarin content by high perfomiance liquid chromatography. Observation on age up to 10 weeks afier the tree being cut to 75 cm height above ground showed that the highest coumarin content was on the leaves of third and founh weeks old and decreased as the leaves matured. This occurred on the medium and high coumarin type provenances. The low coumarin type provenance showed a different pattem. Cutting date during dry season caused generally lower coumarin content in all types than that during rainy season (379.6, 5079.4, 9965.8 vs 889.1, 6635.9, 11254.4 ppm for low, medium and high type, respectively). Experiment on intake
to four sheep for each type showed that sheep consumed medium and high coumarin type Gliricidia in lower amount than low type on the first three days since Gliricidia being offered. The consumption of all types got almost the same alter that. The average intake of low, medium and high type gliricidia was 323.3, 278.7 and 295.5 g/day, respectively. More than 72% of coumarin intake was not recovered in urine or feces. In conclusion, coumarin level was affected by age of
the leaves and cutting date and its effect on intake was only at the first three days of feeding trial.