Enhancing small ruminant health through woody fodder
Woody fodder plays an important role in the nutrition and health of small ruminants. Access to quality fodder resources is a challenge for improving animal productivity. This study was conducted in the municipalities of Méguétan and Doumba, Mali, with the aim of improving animal productivity by designing sustainable integrated systems (trees - animals - crops).
To this end, an ethnobotanical survey was conducted in five villages in the two municipalities, involving 131 livestock farmers. Five woody forage plants commonly used in the feeding of small ruminants were subjected to a cafeteria-type preference test. The three most preferred species were then subjected to chemical analysis and tested for digestibility.
Sustainable integrated systems: A path to improved livestock productivity
A feeding trial was conducted in a farming environment with 24 Djallonké sheep. In addition, the prevalence of gastrointestinal strongyles in 380 sheep and goats was studied. Faecal samples and coproscopic analyses were carried out during three periods: the hot dry season, rainy season, and cold dry season.
Following this, two tests on the anthelmintic efficacy of Khaya senegalensis and Pterocarpus lucens were performed, also involving 24 sheep. The survey data were analysed using SPSS version 21, while the test data were processed using Excel and R version 4.1.3. The Kruskal-Wallis test followed by the Wilcoxon post-hoc test were employed with a significance threshold of P < 0.05.
Key findings on the nutritional value of woody forage plants
The ethnobotanical survey identified major woody species such as Pterocarpus lucens, Entada africana, and Ficus sycomorus. The tests revealed that Pterocarpus lucens was the most consumed species (160.9 g DM/sheep), exhibiting an in vivo digestibility of 78.66%, followed closely by Ficus sycomorus (77.61%).
Consumption of dry leaves varied, ranging from 69.29 g DM/sheep for Pterocarpus lucens to just 3.65 g DM/sheep for Entada africana. In the absence of polyethylene glycol (PEG), gas production after 24 hours of incubation was 14.9 ml/200 mg DM for Pterocarpus lucens and less for Ficus sycomorus. Notably, the addition of PEG significantly (p<0.05) increased gas production in trials for all species studied.
The sheep feeding trial demonstrated an average weight gain of 4.55 kg over two months, due to the integration of woody leaves into the diet. The study also assessed the prevalence of gastrointestinal strongyles (GIBS), which peaked at a rate of 94% during the rainy season.
Additionally, the research highlighted the anthelmintic efficacy of Khaya senegalensis leaves, showing 42.48% effectiveness in 2023 and 60.23% in 2024. These results underscore the potential of woody fodder plants to enhance the nutrition of small ruminants and mitigate the impact of gastrointestinal parasites, providing a local and sustainable solution for farmers.
Lastly, it is important to gain a better understanding of the effects of soil and climate conditions on the nutritional value of trees and shrubs to optimize these systems further.
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