The leaves and the block were fed ad libitum and refusals recorded daily. There were 6 goats in individual cages on each treatment. The design was a single changeover with periods of 21 days on each of the two treatments. The apparent dry matter digestibility was measured during the last 7 days of the second period by total collection of faeces. It is concluded that the leaves of the jackfruit tree have a high nutritive value for growing goats.
Trees also fulfill a valuable environmental role.
In many tropical countries deforestation is a widespread problem. Encouraging farmers to plant trees and shrubs which can be used as animal feed helps to alleviate the problem. Two approaches are possible for developing feeding systems using tree leaves. One is to use the leaves from trees already established in the traditional farming systems. The other is to introduce trees with known potential as animal feed.