The nutritive value of banana (Musa acuminata L.) by-products for maintaining goats

Abstract

The nutritive value of banana by-products (leaves, pseudostems and raceme stems) for goats was studied by rumen degradability and in vitro digestibility techniques, voluntary intake and maintenance trials. Banana by-products had both a relatively low degradability and digestibility, with derived metabolizable energy content (MJ ME per kg dry matter (DM)) of 6.54 for leaves, 6.66 for pseudostems and 8.24 for raceme stems. Daily voluntary intake (g DM per kg M-0.75) was 66.4 for leaves, 19.3 for pseudostems, and 15.3 for raceme stems. On these results, pseudostems and raceme stems would provide less than 0.30 of maintenance ME needs of goats. However, rations based only on banana leaves should meet move than 0.85 of the maintenance energy needs.