Enset (Ensete ventricosum) as a ruminant feed in Ethiopia

Five villages selected randomly in Ezana Wolene district, Guraghe zone, south western Shoa, Ethiopia were used for a base line survey of enset varieties and their utilization. The level of intake of enset leaf and enset pseudo stem when treated and when not treated with urea was studied. The chemical composition, dry matter (DM), Ash, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and Lignin, of the five plant parts of the three most common varieties of enset was determined. Similarly DM degradability was determined by incubating in the rumen of three steers for 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours of incubation. There was no significant effect or improvement on intake of leaf by the treatment of urea. The consumption of pseudo stem, however, was significantly improved with urea treatment. The chemical composition of the enset leaf lamina, leaf midribs and pseudo stem core had a relatively high CP, 16.9, 10.9 and 22.4% of the DM, and NDF of 65.5, 61.6 and 36.4% of the DM respectively. Degradation rate of these parts of the enset plant at 48 hours of incubation was 54.7, 69.7 and 85.8% respectively.