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Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development (AJAD) - Call for papers!

Evaluation of the Nutritional Status of Smallholder Goats in Upland and Lowland Areas, Central Java, Indonesia

(Indonesia), Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science (University of the Philippines Los Baños)

Abstract:

 

A study was conducted in Central Java, Indonesia, where two villages each represented a distinct ecozone, namely: the upland (Kembang village) in Boyolali regency, which was about 850 m above sea level with mean slope of about 14.5 percent; and the lowland (Boyolali village) in Demak regency, which was approximately 4 m above sea level with one percent mean slope.

The study covered four months of wet season (December 1987- March 1988) and four months of dry season (April-July 1988) to gather data on and evaluate the forages and other feed resources for goats on smallholder level of production. Thirty Indonesian native goats, approximately 7-8 months old with weights of 11.25 ± 1.93 kg (upland) and 11.46 ± 2.02 kg (lowland), were used in the study. The goats were assigned to selected farmer-cooperators in the vi II ages; 15 heads went to the upland and IS to the lowland in a joint farmer-scientist collaboration under a memorandum of agreement. Student t-test was used to analyze the differences between the upland and lowland ecozones. The upland ecozones had wider forage species diversity than the lowland.

Forages in the upland areas during wet season had significantly (P<0.05) higher protein than those in the lowland, but during the dry season had s ignificant ly (P<0.05) lower crude fiber. Crude fat, calcium, and phosphorus were not significantly different in the forages between the upland and lowland areas. The average daily gains of goats were 42.46 and 31.36 g in the upland and lowland, respectively, which were s ignificantly different (P<0.05).

There were no sign ificant differences in blood plasma prote in and serum urea. The average final blood plasma protein levels (mg/100 mI) were 7.11 and 7.08 in upland and lowland areas, respectively. The final average of blood serum urea (mg/100 ml) were 40.90 and 33.29 in upland and lowland, respectively.

The various eggs of nematodes encountered during the observation period were from Strongyloides papillosus, Gongylonema pulchrum, Skrjabinema ovis, Avitel/ina centripunctata, Chabertia ovina, Haemonchus contortus, Oesophagostomum co/umbianum, and Ostertagia circumcincta. The number of eggs of C. ovina, H contortus, and Bunostomum trigonocephalum was sign ificantly higher (P<0.05) in the upland than in the lowland areas. There were no significant differences in the number of eggs of the other nematodes in upland and lowland areas. The average daily temperature observed was 22.37 ± 0.79"C in the upland and 28.72 ± 0.89"C in lowland ecozones, respectively, and relative humidity was 76.4 1 ± 7.55 percent in upland and 70.68 ± 8.73 percent in lowland.