Productivity and Nutritional Quality of Nitrogen-Fixing and Non-Fixing Shrub Species for Ruminant Production

Fodder shrubs are important dry season feed sources for livestock in semi-arid environments. It has been proposed that a mixture of leguminous with non-leguminous may increase rates N cycling and improve biomass fodder quality. The objective the present study was to assess productivity quality growing shrubs. Three shrub species—the legume Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) non-legumes Guazuma ulmifolia Moringa oleifera (Lam.)—were grown as legume/non-legume mixtures monocultures. Total production were estimated over five harvests at three-month intervals. Leucaena–Guazuma had largest (9045 kg ha−1 year−1), followed by monocrop (7750 year−1). nitrogen accumulation foliage also high mixture, reaching 282 year−1; accumulated 244 N, while took up only 46 ha−1. concentration polyphenols Guazuma, lowest value. survival excellent growth rates, well observed suggest they have potential provide high-quality livestock.