Effect of Harvesting Gliricidia Sepium at Different Cutting Frequencies on Quantity and Quality of Herbage Biomass for Dairy Cattle Nutrition

Herbage quantity and quality response of Gliricidia sepium to pruning intervals (1.0 to 6.0 months) was evaluated. Chemical composition of coppice re-growth was estimated and herbage was incubated in three rumen fistulated Friesian steers for 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h. Herbage dry matter yield tended to follow linear response (P= 0.0689) with increasing coppice re-growth maturity and ranged between 36.2 tones/ha/year to 49.1 tones/ha/year. Protein content (291 g/ kg DM to 220 g/kg DM) decreased following a quadratic trend. However, fibre content increased following a curvilinear trend as herbage matured but levels of lignification increased linearly with delayed harvesting. Additionally, fraction ‘b’ of dry matter degradability (548 to 716 g/kg DM) decreased linearly with herbage maturity. Herbage potential degradability (a+b) (926 to 785 g/kg CP) was indicative of high protein solubility and rumen degradable protein (RDP) decreased with increasing maturity. Consequently, microbial protein. synthesis and net energy of lactation (NEL) decreased linearly while rumen undegradable protein (RUP) and digestible undegradable protein (DUP) increased linearly with increasing herbage maturity. These results are interpreted to mean that G. sepium herbage quantity and quality is influenced by pruning management.