Evaluation of Cassava Leaf Meal as a Feed Ingredient for Weaner Pigs in Imo State

This study evaluates cassava leaf meal as a partial replacement for soybean meal in the diet of weaner pigs in Imo State, South East Nigeria. Pig production is a significant component of livestock farming in Southeast Nigeria, but the high cost of soybean meal-based diets constrains profitability for smallholder pig farmers. Cassava leaf meal, abundantly available as a by-product of cassava farming in the zone, contains useful protein levels and could partially substitute for expensive conventional protein sources if properly processed to reduce hydrocyanic acid. This study uses a completely randomised design testing four cassava leaf meal inclusion levels in weaner pig diets: 0, 5, 10, and 15 percent, replacing equivalent protein proportions of soybean meal. Sixty weaner pigs of an average initial live weight of 8.2 kilograms are randomly allocated in groups of 15 per treatment. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, haematological parameters, and carcass composition are measured over 56 days. Findings reveal that 5 percent cassava leaf meal inclusion maintains growth performance equivalent to the soybean control diet, producing average daily gain of 198 grams per day. Ten percent inclusion shows marginally lower but acceptable performance. Fifteen percent inclusion significantly reduces growth rate by 28 percent, associated with elevated serum urea nitrogen indicative of amino acid imbalance. The study concludes that properly processed cassava leaf meal at 5 to 10 percent inclusion is a viable cost-reducing protein substitute for weaner pigs in Imo State. It recommends hydrogen cyanide testing as a mandatory quality control step.

Keywords: cassava leaf meal, weaner pigs, soybean meal replacement, growth performance, Imo State.