Research Results - (PDF, 101 mb) - USAID

Summary
Bogor
Research in Bogor focused on summarizing
and publishing the nutrient requirements of
sheep and goats as well as the information on
feed quality and chemical composition over the
lifetime of the project. Many feeding, digestibility,
and growth trials have been run on Indonesian
sheep and goats which are smaller than
those for which nutrient requirement tables
were developed in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.
Summaries were prepared that provide data
on nutrient composition, agronomic characteristics,
feeding strategies, and potential problems
in the use of locally important feeds for small
ruminants. This information was used to prepare
recommendations which extension personnel
can use with farmers.
The nutrient requirement tables have
been compiled and are now used along with
other data generated in Indonesia. A more
formal publication is planned for wider distribution
throughout Southeast Asia. Data on feed
composition of the feedstuffs used in feeding
studies are now part of the computerized data
bank maintained at the Balai Penelitian Ternak.
"Techpacks" on feeding have been developed,
are available to farmers, and are continually
updated. Evaluations of these technologies on
farms was an important part of the 1989-90
activities,
Sei Putih
Supplementation studies were conducted
with cross-bred ewes to determine their
effects when grazing under rubber trees. The
supplemented group received a concentrate
consisting of rice bran, cassava meal, molasses,
fish meal, urea, and limestone. After 21 months,
the supplemented ewes were heavier, gave birth
to more lambs, lambing intervals and mortality
rates were reduced, and productivity per year
was greater but supplementation did not result
in economic gain.
Over 20 local and introduced grasses,
legumes, and a forb were established under
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rubber trees to determine their production and
probable value as a feed source for sheep. An
introduced grass, Seteriasp., proved to be the
most productive but this is a long-term project
to assess production as the rubber trees grow
and develop a more closed canopy. Another
study followed changes in the composition of
forage species under 17-year old rubber trees
when grazed by a rotational system. Grass
species increased in both the first and second
year of rotational grazing, legume species
remained about the same, and forbs were
reduced.
Tolerance to shading of forage species
was studied in an experiment with numerous
species grown in pots under various aged
rubber trees and in the open. All the local
grasses were more shade tolerant than the
introduced species in the study. Panicum maximum
gave the highest yield of all grasses.
A procedure was developed to produce
salt blocks for providing adequate salt and
minerals to sheep. Various mineral compositions
were used in differing proportions to
provide the essential minerals needed.
Molasses with 3% urea was provided ad
libitum as a supplement to Sumatran thin-tailed
ewes bred to Javan thin-tailed rams, grazing in a
rubber plantation. The supplemented ewes
were compared to those grazing in rubber
plantations only. After 21 months, supplemented
ewes gave birth to more lambs and had
shorter lambing intervals. Lambs from supplemented
ewes were heavier at weaning. The
value of weaned lambs less the cost of the
supplement was 21% greater than the value of
the weaned lambs from the control group.