AUTHOR=Galloso-Hernández Maykel Andrés , Rodríguez-Estévez Vicente , Alvarez-Díaz Carlos Armando , Soca-Perez Mildrey , Dublin Devon Ronald , Iglesias-Gómez Jesús , Guelmes Leonel Simon 

TITLE=Selectivity of Leguminous Trees by Water Buffaloes in Semi-intensive Systems

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.542338

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2020.542338

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>Water buffaloes (<italic>Bubalus bubalis</italic>) manifest different levels of selectivity for different pastures and forages. Knowledge of feed selectivity is important to facilitate the design of efficient production systems that take into account optimal animal welfare. In this study, the selectivity of nine 18-month old female water buffaloes for <italic>Leucaena leucocephala, Albizia lebbeck, Gliricidia sepium</italic>, and <italic>Moringa oleifera</italic> was evaluated. After 12 h of grazing <italic>Megathyrsus maximum</italic>, the animals were housed in individual shelters and 1.2 kg of leaves from each of the four tree species were offered to the animals simultaneously. The selectivity, measured as the intake of dry matter (DM), was highest for <italic>A. lebbeck</italic> (mean = 0.34 kgDM, SD = 0.05 kg), followed by <italic>L. leucocephala</italic> (mean = 0.30 kgDM, SD = 0.03 kg), <italic>M. oleifera</italic> (mean = 0.11 kgDM, SD = 0.05 kg), and <italic>G. sepium</italic> (mean = 0.10 kgDM, SD = 0.02 kg) (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). The crude protein intake was highest for <italic>A. lebbeck and L. leucocephala</italic>. Notably, the less selected leaves were those of <italic>G. sepium</italic> and <italic>M. oleifera</italic>. This study suggests that the inclusion of <italic>A. lebbeck</italic> and <italic>L. leucocephala</italic> in silvopastoral systems may increase both the consumption and well-being of water buffaloes in the tropics.</p>