Distinct Nutritional Functions of Leptadenia reticulata and Moringa oleifera in Nutrient Digestibility of Lactating Sahiwal Cattle

Abstract:

The present study was conducted to investigate the differential nutritional roles of Leptadenia reticulata and Moringa oleifera in nutrient digestibility of lactating Sahiwal cattle. Twenty-eight lactating Sahiwal cattle were randomly allocated to four treatment groups (n = 7) under a completely randomized design and fed for 120 days. Animals in the control group (T₀) received a basal diet, whereas T₁, T₂ and T₃ received dietary supplementation of Leptadenia reticulata root powder (90 g/animal/day), Moringa oleifera leaf powder (150 g/animal/day) and a combination of both herbs (45 g + 75 g/animal/day), respectively. A five-day digestion trial was conducted at the end of the feeding period to determine digestibility coefficients of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fibre (CF) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE). Dietary supplementation significantly (P<0.05) affected DM, CP and CF digestibility. The highest DM digestibility (63.70%) and CP digestibility (53.32%) were recorded in cattle supplemented with Moringa oleifera, representing improvements of 12.88% and 27.26%, respectively, over the control group (56.43% and 41.90%). In contrast, the highest CF digestibility (50.48%) was observed in the Leptadenia reticulata supplemented group, which was 15.61% higher than the control value (43.66%). Organic matter, ether extract and nitrogen-free extract digestibility were not significantly influenced by dietary treatments (P>0.05). The superior DM and CP digestibility observed with Moringa oleifera may be associated with its higher crude protein content, whereas the greater CF digestibility observed with Leptadenia reticulata may be related to its comparatively higher fibre content. The findings demonstrate that the two herbal supplements perform distinct nutritional functions in lactating Sahiwal cattle. While Moringa oleifera primarily improved dry matter and protein utilization, Leptadenia reticulata enhanced fibre digestion. These results provide evidence for the targeted use of herbal feed additives according to specific nutritional objectives and support their application as sustainable nutritional interventions in dairy production systems.