Abstract 581

Wong,-CC; Devendra,-C

MARDI, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.

Leucaena research in the Asian-Pacific region. 1983, 55-60. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

It was found that rhizobial inoculation and lime pelleting of leucaena seeds was essential for establishment and growth on the acidic Al-saturated soils of Malaysia. Studies on the mimosine content indicated that it was highest in the shoot tips, 1st expanded leaves, flowering heads and young pods; in foliage and stems it decreased with age and with increased time between leaf harvests. DM yields of 13.5-21.9 t/ha were recorded for some accessions. In a 77-day growth study feeding goats leucaena forage and grass at ratios of 1:4, 1:1 and 4:1 there was a positive correlation between liveweight gain and increasing proportion of leucaena; the highest gain was recorded at 75% dietary leucaena. Mean daily liveweight gains of 443 g were recorded for Sahiwal-Friesian heifers grazing leucaena-grass mixtures. The results demonstrated the potential value of leucaena forage for ruminants.