A note on a comparison of the feeding value of sweet potato vines and lucerne meal for broiler chickens

The chemical composition of sun-dried sweet potato vines (SPV) and lucerne meal showed high levels (g/kg DM) of neutral detergent fibre, ash and prote in of 364 and 352, 178 and 100, and 191 and 182, respectively. Amino acid a nalysis showed modest levels of lysine, threonine and the sulfur amino acid s in both meals but concentrations of these amino acids were generally high er in lucerne meal than SPV meal despite similar crude protein values. Mine ral analysis showed a useful amount of Ca (10 g/kg) in both meals. When SPV meal replaced lucerne meal at 0-160 g/kg diet, broilers grown to 21 days s howed no differences (p>0.05) in growth rate, food intake or food efficienc y. The apparent metabolisable energy (MJ/kg) of diets containing 40 and 80 g SPV/kg was higher (14.1-14.6) than the specific dietary concentrations of SPV at other levels. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.