Assessment of proximate and nutritional contents in selected weedy grasses for potential use as fodder in district charsadda, KP

Abstract

Indigenous people have been using local grasses for the rearing of their animals. This botanical endeavor is the first study about the documentation from district Charsadda regarding the traditional awareness of the usage of grasses and their feeding system. Perennial grasses show numerous useful traits as energy crops and have been expanding enthusiasm for their utilization since the last century. Proficient production of energy from such enduring grasses requires the decision of the most proper grass species for the natural, climatic, and ecological conditions. In the present study, eleven grass species (Alopecurus myosuroides, Apluda mutica, Bromus catharticus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Cymbopogon jwarancusa, Desmostachya bipinnata, Dichanthium annulatum, Hordeum murinum, Leptochloa chinensis, Phalaris minor, and Polypogon fugax) were collected and screened to check their potential of usage as forage at three phenological stages (pre-reproductive, reproductive and post-reproductive stages). The selected forage grasses were evaluated for proximate and mineral contents in three phenological phases. The principal minerals (C, Al, Mg, Si, S, P, Cl, Ca, K, Mn, N, Cu, Fe, Zn, and Na) were investigated which are vital for the appropriate development, growth, health, and other physiological functions in cattle’s. The level of common essentials elements improved in plants through various phenological stages except for a few species. All eleven species have a high value of carbohydrates and a low value of crude protein. Percent moisture contents were maximum in Phalaris minor10.4% but low ash contents in Alopecurus myosuroides 6.423 %. Palatability classes revealed that 2 forage grasses were moderately palatable, 5 kinds of grasses were highly palatable and 4 species were less palatable. All the highlighted species in the present results (proximate and nutrient composition) suggest that they have a high potential for cattle as fodder and fulfill the current gap of fodder. Grasses were mainly available and had ethno-veterinary value during August and October. This document of traditional livestock feeding in Charsadda will underline the value of maintaining traditional information that has been poorly recorded before. © Pakistan Academy of Sciences.