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Availability and Use of Shrubs and Tree Fodders in Bangladesh

M. Saadullah
Department of General Animal Science, Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

This paper highlights the importance of shrubs and tree fodders and their availability and patterns of use as animal feeds in Bangladesh. Shrubs and trees are regarded as good fodder sources in the country. Using shrubs, tree leaves, tender shoots, stems, and twigs as feed for ruminants is a village tradition. The characteristics, types, and uses of common shrubs and fodder trees in the homestead, forest, and common lands are discussed. Institutional support to compile a complete inventory of forage shrubs and trees is necessary as is the need for regulated lopping and grazing in the forest, homestead, and common lands. Indiscriminate lopping often results in the death of desirable shrubs and trees. Special attention should also be directed to determine the nutritive value of various feeds and the nature and extent of various toxic elements.

Keywords: Shrubs, Tree, Fodders, Bangladesh

Location: Department of General Animal Science, Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Animal Health and Management

Commodity: Fodder

Objectives:

Goats are kept mostly by marginal and landless people to convert small amounts of roughage and browse into meat for sale. Most of the 0.5 million sheep are owned in large flocks by families who have or try to establish special land-use rights in the char areas. The contribution of sheep to the income of average rural families is negligible. Therefore, attention must be focused on goats. The poultry population is estimated at 78.4 million. They are widely distributed among rural households and are generally kept as scavenging birds.

Methodology:

Feeds from arable land The major feed for livestock in Bangladesh is straw. About 2 kg of straw is available per head per day and supplementation is limited to about 1 kg of green fodder plus marginal quantities of cereal and oilseed by-products. Leguminous cash crops and pulses are mostly grown for grain, but their straw is also fed to livestock. Bangladesh produces a variety of different oilseeds. The most important of these are mustard and rape, with a total production of 116 000/year in 1980 (BBS 1983). These nonleguminous crops provide most of the oil cakes used as livestock feed. The balance is produced with sesame and groundnuts, with a combined production of about 50 000 t/year.

Feeds from nonarable land: Nonarable land contributes most of the green fodder for ruminants in the country. With the extreme pressure on land, it must be considered as an important future source of feed. Nonarable land at the farm level is found around pond embankments, on bunds, and around homesteads. Outside the farms, it is usually public wasteland found along canals, rivers, roadsides, and railways. The Bangladesh Department of Forestry has planted arhar (pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan) along roadsides in different districts. The legume ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) has also been introduced. Trials have been made to grow traditional grasses like para grass (Brachiana mutica), napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum), guinea grass (Panicum maximum), and pangola grass (Digitaria decumbens) in some areas by the Directorate of Livestock Services. Results have been unsatisfactory. Importance of shrubs and tree fodders The permanent use of arable land for fodder production is not part of traditional land use. Arable land is used for food and cash crops and there is no scope for fodder production in the near future. Forage species that are late maturing have no place in smallholder agriculture. However, many farmers cultivate leguminous forage species as cash crops at the end of kharif, using residual soil moisture and soil crops that can be planted with little or no tillage. Khesari (Lathyrus sativa) and matikalie (Phasecolum aconitifus) are the species most commonly used. Although Bangladesh has no arable land for fodder production, there are numerous unconventional sources of feedstuffs for livestock. Among these, shrubs and tree fodders are important. Using shrubs and tree leaves, tender shoots, and twigs as fodder for ruminants is traditional in the villages of Bangladesh. Cultivation of these shrubs requires no extra arable land or labour. The use of shrubs and tree fodder as livestock feed has recently been increasingly recognized. In fact, more animals are now fed on shrubs and tree fodders than on traditional grasses. The growing importance of shrubs and leaf fodders in the livestock economy of the country has necessitated the planning of trees in bunds, riversides, waysides, and homesteads. Information on the feeding pattern and use of shrubs and tree fodder for animals in Bangladesh is lacking. About one-third of Bangladesh is inundated during the monsoon season. House-cum-pond is typical in most flooded areas and, obviously, water plants are abundant throughout the year. Water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes), which is plentiful everywhere, is unsuitable for cattle and buffaloes as a single feed; however, it can be fed to cattle and buffaloes mixed with rice straw. Dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata), a large shrubby herb 300-400 cm long with small leaves, is useful fodder for goats and sheep. It is cultivated before the monsoon season. Banana leaves and stems are other promising sources of green roughage. Large quantities can be produced under rain-fed conditions on non-arable land. Banana is a cash crop producing fruit for human consumption and the leaves and stems as fodder for ruminants. When fed to animals, the leaves and stems are chopped and mixed with straw. This mixture is an important green roughage for ruminants during floods and drought.

Source of Information: Shrubs and tree fodders for farm animals; Proceedings of a workshop in Denpasar, Indonesia, 24-29 July 1989

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Institutional support to compile a complete inventory of forage shrubs and trees is necessary as is the need for regulated lopping and grazing in the forest, homestead, and common lands. Indiscriminate lopping often results in the death of desirable shrubs and trees. Special attention should also be directed to determine the nutritive value of various feeds and the nature and extent of various toxic elements.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings