Nutritional evaluation of posari (Jasminum malabaricum) leaves in goats

A metabolism trial was conducted on 5 male goats of 4-7 months old to assess the nutrient utilization and nutritive value of Posari (Jasminum malabaricum) leaves. Posari leaves contained 25.72% dry matter (DM), 93.60% organic matter (OM), 14.43% crude protein (CP), 3.20% ether extract (EE), 21.36% crude fiber (CF), 54.61% nitrogen free extract (NFE), 1.4% acid insoluble ash (AlA), 40.47% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 30.70% acid detergent fiber (ADF), 15.50% acid detergent lignin (ADL), 15.20% cellulose, 9.77% hemicellulose, 5.50% lignin, 0.66% calcium, 0.28% phosphorus and 1.17% tannin. DM intake was 4.91 kg/100 kg body weight or 92.44 g/kg metabolic body weight. Digestibility of DM, OM, CP, EE, CF, NFE, NDF, ADF, ADL, cellulose and hemicellulose was 59.22, 60.73, 61.79, 61.29, 60.15, 58.98, 50.49, 39.33, 47.39, 53.58 and 64.68%, respectively. Posari leaves contained 8.91% digestible crude protein (DCP) and 58.36% total digestible nutrients (TDN). Retention of nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus was 7.88, 1.91 and 0.57 g/d, respectively. The study demonstrated that Posari leaves are good fodder for growing males without any deleterious effect on health and production.