Deshidratación del follaje, al sol y a la sombra, de tres plantas forrajeras proteicas

The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of the drying method (under sunlight and shade) of the foliage of Morus alba (mulberry), Boehmeria nivea (ramie) and Tithonia diversifolia (Mexican sunflower), on the dehydration dynamics and meal quality. The water loss, under sunlight and shade, of the edible biomass of each species, was determined. The yield and bromatological quality were quantified in the dehydrated foliage. A completely randomized design was used, with two treatments and seven replicas each. The foliage dehydration was reached after five days with both drying methods, in the three species. The yield in meal was higher in mulberry, than in ramie and Mexican sunflower (186,4; 131,5 and 81,2 g /kg GM, respectively); however, in each species it had a similar value with both drying forms. In mulberry and ramie, although the dehydration method did not affect the CP content of the meal, under shade the highest values of DM (88,2 %), ADF (33,8 %) and cellulose (26,8 %) were detected in the former, as well as the value of ADF (39,8 %), cellulose (25,8 %) and lignin (9,2 %) in the latter. In Mexican sunflower, the drying under sunlight produced a higher CP content (27,1 %); while DM (89,6 %), ADF (34,1 %) and cellulose (25,7 %) were higher with drying under shade. It is concluded that both drying types constitute an alternative to dehydrate the edible biomass of the three species, with little affectation of the bromatological indicators.