Tithonia diversifolia Leaf Meal as a Supplement for West African Dwarf Goats
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Date
2026-09-23
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Nexus Academic Publishers (NAP), Lahore, Pakistan
Abstract
The study examined the nutritional response and performance of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats fed
diets consisting primarily of cassava peel, supplemented with graded levels of Tithonia diversifolia leaf meal (TDLM)
for 70 days in a feeding trial conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara
State, Nigeria. Twenty-four growing WAD goats were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, with six animals
in each group. Each treatment was replicated three times, with two animals per replicate. The four experimental diets
contained graded amounts of TDLM at 0.00%, 5.00%, 10.00%, and 15.00% levels and were fed at 3% of body weight.
The 15% group showed the highest numerical weight gain; however, the differences among treatments were not
statistically significant (p > 0.05). Nutrient digestibility values for NDF, ADF, and ASH were similar (p>0.05) across
dietary treatments. Goats fed diets containing 15% TDLM inclusion levels had significantly (p<0.05) higher crude
protein digestibility (73.08%). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) across dietary treatments was similar (p>0.05). However,
the lowest FCR (5.32) and the highest weight gain (3.55 kg) were recorded in goats fed 15% TDLM inclusion levels,
indicating more efficient utilization of the diets by the goats. The study showed that Tithonia diversifolia leaf can be
used as a fodder supplement for growing WAD goats up to 15% inclusion in the diet without harmful effects.
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Citation
Citation | Olawoye SO, Adeniran MB, Adeleye AE, Aremu JO (2026). Tithonia diversifolia leaf meal as a supplement for west African dwarf goats. Adv. Anim.