Tagasaste (Chamaecytisus palmensis) as a source
of high quality fodder supplement in smallholder
mixed crop-livestock systems
Melkamu Bezabih, Kindu Mekonnen, Alan Duncan, Aberra Adie,
Adugna Tolera, Meron Mengesha and Peter Thorne
10 International Symposium on the Nutrition of Herbivores
Clermont-Ferrand, France, 2-6 September 2018

Contents
• Introduction
• Research approaches
• Growth performance of tagasaste fodder tree under
smallholder management
• Nutritional qualities and supplementation effects of
tagasaste
• Conclusion

Introduction
• Mixed crop-livestock farming is the dominant system in
sub-saharan Africa
• The two sub-sectors compliment each other
• Competition between crop and livestock exist for
resources
Conversion of grazing lands to farming lands due to
population pressure

• High seasonality in feed supply (quality and quantity), and
serious shortage during the dry periods
• Increasing dependence on crop residues for livestock
feeding (30-80% of total dry matter intake)
• The need for alternative feed resources to supplement
poor quality crop residues

• Tagasaste, a leguminous
shrub/tree, is a potential
fodder plant for cooler
highland areas,
• However, it is not widely scaled
and used
• This study evaluated the growth performance of tagasaste
under farmers management and its supplementation effect on
weight gain and carcass characteristics of sheep
• The evidence generated is aimed to promote wider adoption

• Study components:
 on-farm growth and biomass yield
evaluation
 on-station feeding and digestibility trial
• Eight research villages across the four Africa
RISING project sites were selected
• 25-30 farmers per village, and a total of 260
farmers
• Each farmer established tagasaste plot with a minimum of 50 seedlings
• At 9 months of age, trees randomly subjected to
 two cutting heights (1m and 1.5m) and three cutting frequencies (2×,
3×, and 4× per year) for edible leaf
 Uprooted at 12 months of age for total biomass accumulation

• Biomass yield measured, and
samples analyzed for chemical
composition
• A feeding trial for 90 days using
24 yearling (intact) Menz sheep
• Digestibility trial for 7 days
• Four levels of tagasaste leaf hay supplementations (100, 200, 300 and
400g/d) to a basal diet of barley straw
• Six animals per treatment in Randomized Complete Block design
(RCBD)
• Carcass evaluation at the end using all animal

50
80
110
140
170
200
230
260
290
3 6 9 12
Treeheight(cm)
Age of tree (month)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Seedingsurvivalrater(%)
Growing niche
A) B)
Figure 1. Mean seedling survival (A) and growth (B) of tagasaste as influenced
by growing niche and site
*Key determinants of growth and survival: fencing, watering; mulching;
manuring; farm typology

e
d
c
bb
a
0
2
4
6
8
10
1 m 1.5 m
Leafbiomass(tonDM/ha)
Height of cutting
3 months 4 months 6 months
Figure2.LeafbiomassyieldoftreeLucerneunderdifferentcuttingheightandinterval
More yield obtained with:
 Cutting height of 1.5m
 Cutting interval of 4-6
months

Figure 3. Relationship between plant length and above ground biomass yield of
undisturbed 12 months old tagasaste
Regression Constant b1 b2 b3 R2 Sign.
Linear -246 2.44 .120 .000
Quadratic 1277 -10.95 .028 .209 .000
Cubic 967 -6.60 .009 2.7E-05 .209 .000
Exponential 62 .006 .141 .000
Growth 4.133 .006 .141 .000

0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
Basona Lemo Endamohoni Sinana
Carbonsequestered(t/ha)
Site of plantation
Above ground Below ground Total

Composition
Site OM CP NDF ADF ADL IVOMD ME
% on DM basis MJ/kg DM
Site1 94.5 24.3 45.5 23.3 8.91 67.0 9.0
Site2 93.9 25.7 49.9 32.0 13.5 64.6 8.8
Site3 94.7 25.5 44.4 24.3 10.4 65.5 8.8
Site4 93.3 25.6 54.4 38.2 15.7 63.2 8.6
P value 0.001 0.439 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.005 0.001
Figure 4. Mean chemical composition, in vitro organic matter digestibility and
metabolizable energy content of tagasaste leaf

Figure5.EffectoftreeLucerneleafsupplementationontheweightgainofMenzsheepfedbarley
straw basaldiet
Variables
Supplementation levels
(g hay/d) P
100 200 300 400
Dry matter intake (g) 477d 559c 635b 717a <0.001
DM digestibility (%) 57.6c 60.3c 66.1b 72.1a <0.001
Daily weight gain (g) 19.8d 40.3b 55.7ab 72.5a <0.001
FCE* (g DWG/g DMI) 0.04c 0.07b 0.09ab 0.10a <0.001
Dressing percentage (%) 40.5c 45.0b 47.0ab 48.2a <0.001
*FCE = feed conversion efficiency

Take home message:
 Tagasaste performs very well in cooler highlands of Africa, and can
provide high quality fodder supplement for smallholder farmers,
provided that seedlings are planted at the right niche with proper
management
 Leaf of tagasaste can serve as a cheap source of protein and energy
supplement for smallholders who don’t have access to/afford to by
concentrates
 The tree provides multiple functions planted on contours/terraces (N
fixation, erosion control, carbon sequestration, bee fodder)
 Inclusion in the diet of small ruminants up to 50% provide superior
growth performance

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