The effect of three tropical shrub legumes on intake rate and acceptability by small ruminants

A number of leguminous shrubs and trees have been identified as a source of forage for ruminant animals in tropical areas (Blair, 1990). However, many of the shrub legumes wildly used or with potential for supplementing livestock are not well adapted to acid soil with high levels of exchangeable aluminum (Perdomo, 1991; Shelton et al., 1991). Thus the Tropical Forage Program of CIAT undertook the task of selecting shrub legumes for acid infertile soil and some promising species has identified. However, their nutritional value for ruminants could be limited due to high levels of condensed tannins (CT) which are polyphenols that form complexes with proteins, carbohydrate and metals. Therefore, it could depress intake, protein and fibre digestion (Lascano and Carulla, 1992). To better define strategies for utilization of these legumes in feeding systems, further determine the value of these species on diet selection is necessary.