Potential of Alocasia spp. for use in animal feed

Abstract

Cuba faces the need to diversify alternatives for animal feed, so the clone evaluation from Alocasia gender means a starting point in this direction. This work was performed at the Research Institute of Tropical Root and Tuber Crops (INIVIT). Three accessions collected in the country to analyze their potential use were tested. Bromatological characteristics were evaluated such as, as percentage of dry matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, crude protein and crude fiber as indicators of their nutritional value and their potential use in animal feed. At 11 months, the yield (kg.plant-1) of plant organs was evaluated. A list of descriptors which represents a contribution to the description of Alocasia species was defined. Assessment of bromatological characters to identify clones ‘Picante verde’ and ‘Picante variegada’ with higher potential use in animal feed because of its high protein content in the leaf blade and in full leaf, and its high green mass yield.

Keywords

• Alocasia
• evaluation
• animal feed
• protein