Pentas schimperiana Utilization Practices as Livestock Feed in Mareka District, Ethiopia
Pentas schimperiana Utilization Practices as Livestock Feed in Mareka District, Ethiopia
Tilahun Woretaw1, Netsanet Beyero2*, Yonatan Kassu3
ABSTRACT
The objectives of the study were to assess utilization practices and biomass yield of Pentas schimperiana. Purposive sampling technique was used to select two agroecology (midland and highland) and five representatives (two from midland and three from highland) kebeles based on the coverage of P. schimperiana. A total of 100 respondents, 58 from three high land peasant associations and 42 from two midland peasant associations, were purposely selected for an interview who had at least one livestock. Secondary data sources, field observation, and semi-structured questionnaire interviews were employed to generate data. The descriptive data were analyzed by percentages, means, and standard errors of the mean. At the same time quantitative data were subjected to ANOVA. P. schimperiana leaves and twigs were used as animal feed, traditional medicinal value, and source of income as indicated by 100, 59.4, and 44.6% of respondents, respectively. As animal feed, about 100, 80.2, 69.3, 58.4, 50.5, 42.6, 30.7, 19.8, and 5.9% of them utilized to supplement their milk cow, dry cow, heifers, calves, oxen, bull, sheep, goat, and equine, respectively. The drinking mixture of P. schimperiana in milk, and water was higher during the dry season and lowered during the wet season. The estimated biomass yields were 4.34±0.13 kg and 5.56±0.119 kg in the dry and wet seasons, respectively. Further feeding trial experiments should be conducted on live animals especially on a dairy animal for studying the response, for optimal production, productivity, and economic efficiency.
Keywords | Agroecology, Biomass yield, Drinking mixture, Livestock feed, Pentas schimperiana
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