Sweet Potato Leaves for Pigs: Biomass Yield, Digestion and Nutritive Value

Sixteen sweet potato varieties were evaluated withrespect to the biomass yield of the leaves, stems andtubers under different leaf harvesting intervals anddefoliation techniques with the aim of selecting thebest varieties for forage production. The biomassyields of leaves, stems and tubers were found to varyaccording to variety, season and defoliationtechnique. Sweet potato leaves can be used forfeeding pigs in fresh, dry and ensiled forms. Sweetpotato leaves are high in protein content compared toother protein-rich forages. Lysine is the firstlimiting amino acid. Growing pigs fed sweet potatoleaves with addition of synthetic lysine had dailylive-weight gains which was similar to that of pigsfed fish meal as the protein source. The study in this book is concluded that Sweet potatoleaves can be considered as a potentially valuableprotein source for pigs under small farm conditions.