Trichanthera gigantea a promising plant in agricultural ecosystems
(Edited)
Dear readers, in our blog we have always shared endogenous agricultural alternatives that are sustainable without losing productive yields, this time we will share with you information about a plant that, although we have not used it, through the experience of other research colleagues in the agricultural area we could show that it has forage and ecological potential in agro ecosystems, its scientific name is Trichanthera gigantea and is commonly known in Venezuela with the name of Yatago, spring and in other latitudes known as water stick.
Among the potential of this plant is that it can become a forage alternative for certain animals such as pigs, goats, rabbits among other species, However, there is a lack of knowledge of the potential of this species that limits its use in livestock spaces implementing silvopastoral systems or protein banks. The implementation of these sustainable alternatives reduces costs in the medium and long term without influencing animal performance.
Trichanthera gigantea is a tree that can reach more than 10 meters in height in its natural habitats, but if it wants to be used as a forage plant the farmer must establish a cutting height of approximately 1 meter so that the plant does not reach higher heights, their branches are cut leaving always the central stem, to ensure future regrowth and of course a next harvest. The Yatago, belongs to the family Acanthaceae and according to Moreno and Guerrero (2005), has a wide range of distribution adapts to soils of tropical regions including those of low fertility and tolerates slightly acidic ph.
In terms of its potential, according to Sarria (1994), it has an excellent protein content, capable of producing high levels of green forage per year and good digestibility by some animal species, According to the researches consulted it has been widely studied in pigs, sheep rabbits and other species. In the case of cattle, García, Medina, Cova, Torres, Soca, Pizzani, Baldizán and Domínguez (2008), implemented a trial where they tested 12 species with forage potential including Yatago and observed that the biomass of this plant was almost not consumed by cattle.
On the other hand, Sarria (1994), knowing its nutritional potential with the amount of protein that the plant has, proposed a trial whose objective was to use Trichanthera gigantea as a partial replacement of soy in pigs in gestation, because, according to their experience, it would be a more sustainable alternative, if soy could be replaced by a resource of easier production at the tropical level, which does not compete with human food and not be dependent on imported resources. As a result obtained that the Yatago is appetizing by swine and that can be replaced by 30% soy in the gestation phase of these animals providing approximately 1 kg of leaves per day.
There have also been tests with this plant, in the feeding of rabbits to observe the productive response that the animal may have to this type of forage, in that sense Brenes (2014), was considered evaluating the weight gain of rabbits, the researcher established a trial where he fed rabbits with commercial food and also a mixture of commercial food with Trichanthera gigantea leaves in different percentages, the results of the experiment showed that the food concentrated in 15 % of the rabbits' diet can be replaced by fresh leaves of Yatago, which will not affect the response in the production of rabbit meat which allows to encourage the use of alternative forages.
| Final considerations. |
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Dear readers, as we can see the Trichanthera gigantea is an alternative for the feeding of some species of animals, this plant can be obtained in some tropical ecosystems of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Brazil among others, for its establishment nurseries can be implemented planting them vegetatively with fractions of stem in bags, but it can be very expensive, it has been corroborated by some research that such cuttings can also be sown directly in bare root field, which represents a reduction in costs compared to the implementation of nursery, It would be interesting to determine the nutritional yields of the plants from the nursery, compared to those sown directly in the field.
Thank you for staying until the end.
Postscript: Although the photographs are not your own, we hope they can be used to identify you, in the different geographical areas where you are located.
| Bibliographic references |
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Sarria, P. (1994). Effect of the nacedero (Trichanthera gigantea) as a partial soybean replacement in pregnant and lactating sows receiving a basic diet of cane juice. Livestock Research for Rural Development 6 (1).
Moreno, F. and Guerrero, A. (2005). Evaluation of four propagation methods in Trichanthera gigantea field. Journal of the Faculty of Agronomy of LUZ. 22: 13-21
García, E.; Medina, M. and collaborators. (2008). Preference of cattle for the foliage of twelve species with potential for agrosilvopastoral systems in the State of Trujillo, Venezuela. Journal of Pastures and Forages v.31 n.3
Brenes, A. (2014)Productive response of rabbits fed with fresh hatchery foliage (Trichanthera gigantea, Lamiales:Acanthaceae). Center for Research in Animal Nutrition and School of Zootechnics, University of Costa Rica.
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I used that in rabbits, and yeah, I observed that milk production increases, yet I cannot use the leaf daily. One of my classmates uses T.G in broiler meat, and it is organically sufficient.
Hello dear @eunoia101, good to know that you have obtained experiences with this type of plants for feeding rabbits, I imagine that in your area the climatic conditions are suitable for the adaptation of the plant.
You made something very clear, which I share with you, that despite being sustainable and good alternatives, the supply cannot be exceeded, because it can cause some alterations in the animal's metabolism-
So long, have a great week, thanks for your valuable comment.
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I haven't seen this plant in my region, but I could tell that it will be a very good alternative to animal feed, since it is protein filled. The fact that it can be planted on bare field is another plus to it. One in the business of selling Ruminating animals will be happy to have such a plant, compared to purchasing animal feed.
Hello @eni-ola, thank you for stopping by my blog, you are absolutely right, there are plants that provide adequate protein levels that are ideal for feeding animals, they are very valuable endogenous resources, which can generate better productivity.
So long, have a great week
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STOPHello friends of @hivebuzz, thanks for keeping me informed, this for me is a great achievement, since it indirectly shows me a statistic of interaction in my publications.
You guys do an excellent job. Have a great week.
You're welcome @amestyj! Have a nice day 😊👍
This plant looks so small on the last image. I cannot imagine it can become the monster you mentioned :D
Cheers!
Hello dear friend @lemouth, I hope you are well, the size of the last photo the plant is in the vegetative stage that is, it is in its early stages of growth.
On the other hand, if the plant is used as fodder, pruning is carried out so that it does not reach great heights.
See you later brother, thanks for your valuable comment, have a great week.
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