Effect of ensiling gliricidia with cassava on silage quality, growth performance, digestibility, ingestive behavior and carcass traits in lambs

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ensiling gliricidia ( Gliricidia sepium Jacq.) with cassava on silage quality as well as the growth performance, digestibility, ingestive behavior and carcass traits in lambs. Gliricidia was ensiled with cassava leaves at varying proportions of inclusion (0, 200, 400 and 600 g/kg) for 75 days and fed as a total mixed ration (TMR) at 700 g/kg, while a concentrate mixture was fed at 300 g/kg to 32 castrated Santa Ines crossbred lambs with an average weight of 18.9 ± 2.0 kg. The pH, N-NH 3 , density, butyric and acetic acid contents and dry matter losses (DML) of the gliricidia silages decreased linearly ( P  P  P  P  = 0.084). The inclusion of cassava leaves in the gliricidia silage linearly increased ( P  P  > 0.05). However, the weights of the commercial cuts and non-carcass components linearly increased ( P