Comparative Analysis of Three Rumex Species for Livestock Feeding Prevailing under mid-Himalayan Region

India has largest population of diverse livestock in the world and their increasing number widens the existing gap between demand and supply of fodder. In Himalayan region, particularly during the lean periods, scarcity of fodder has often been associated with the serious economic loses to farmers. Hence, it is pertinent to look into all possibilities to overcome the scarcity of fodder. The inclusion of nonconventional feed resources could be a rational solution to uplift the barriers in the availability of fodder. Thus, present investigation involves the nutritional analysis of three commonly grown weeds viz., R. hastatus, R. obtusifolius, R. nepalensis of mid-Himalayan region for determining their forage value. Crude protein, ash content, reducing sugars and cell content in Rumex species varied from 22.05 to 31.15%, 7.40 to 18.13%, 18.62 to 31.51%, and 56.46 to 59.00%, respectively. Cell wall constituents viz., NDF, ADF, ADL, hemicellulose, and cellulose varied from 41.00 to 43.53%, 27.33 to 33.00%, 9.33 to 11.40%, 10.53 to 13.62% and 16.80 to 23.66%, respectively. The polyphenolic compounds i.e., total phenols, simple phenols and total tannins were in the range of 3.43 to 7.46%, 1.40 to 3.35% and 2.03 to 4.11% respectively. Oxalate content, known for the toxicity of Rumex species, was recorded with considerably low (3.60 to 5.50%) in mid-Himalayan region. The digestibility of organic matter (OMD), and dry matter (DMD), metabolizable energy (ME) and dry matter intake (DMI) in Rumex species varied from 55.04 to 59.80%, 63.25 to 66.96%, 8.78 to 9.38 MJ/kg DM, and 2.75 to 2.92% b.wt), respectively. The results of the study unveil Rumex species as a potential source of protein for livestock and promote their utilization in a positive way for livestock feeding during the lean periods. It also provide new outlook for Rumex species as livestock feed resource, which otherwise considered as noxious weeds.