International Journal of Plant & Soil Science

Aims: The aims of this study were undertaken with the objectives to determine asexual propagation of moringa plant using branch cuttings of different maturities indicated by the cutting  diameter of A) 3-5 cm, B) 6-8 cm or C) 10-12 cm on biomass yield, nutritional composition and In-sacco DM degradability.

Study Design: The design of the study is completely randomized design (CRD).

Place and Duration of Study: The agronomical trial was conducted at Pachutia fodder plot of the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) from June, 2014 to May, 2015.

Methodology: Twelve (12) plots each area with 800 x100 cm² were prepared with basal dose of fertilizer (kg) of cow dung, urea, Tipple Super Phosphate(TSP) and Murat of Potash(MP)  (27000:90:30:15), and branch cuts were planted at a space of 30x30 cm randomly replicating each type of cut into four (4) different plots. The experimental data on survivability (%), no. of prunes per cut, yield of different botanical fractions of moringa foliage, chemical composition and In-sacco DM degradability were recorded.

Results: The survivability (72.4%) or the number of prunes/cut (4.55) of 10-12 cm branch cut were significantly (P = .001) higher than that of the branch cuts with 3-5 cm (5.62% & 1.92, respectively) or 6-8 cm diameter (8.41% & 2.70, respectively). The fresh and dry matter yield (ton ha^-1 yr^-1) of total foliage, stem and leaf were significantly (P=0.001) higher at 10-12 cm branch diameter followed by 6-8 cm and 3-5 cm branch diameters, respectively. Effect of leaf to stem ratio was not significant among the treatments. Crude Protein (CP) content of all fraction of different cuts did not vary (P=0.193) significantly. The acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) of total foliage was lower in 10-12 cm branch diameter compared to other diameters. It was observed that, the ADF: CP ratio (2.0 to 2.5) was appropriate for effective DM degradability (%) which was 53.0-54.0%.

Conclusion: Both yields and chemical composition of moringa foliage suggested that 10-12 cm branch diameter used for asexual propagation and could be a potential protein source for ruminants livestock.