Abstract:
There is significant potential to enhance livestock productivity by providing balanced
diets formulated from locally available feed resources, such as Azolla pinnata. This
study aimed to achieve two objectives: (1) to introduce effective management
practices for an azolla pond, and (2) to evaluate the impacts of azolla on the growth
performance of young cattle. A pond (3 m x 1 m x 0.3 m) was constructed with a
20cm water level for azolla cultivation. The pond was fertilized with 14 g of triple
super phosphate, 3kg of cow dung, and 25kg of topsoil, followed by the introduction
of 1kg of azolla. For the second objective, a feeding trial was conducted with nine
young cows aged 3 to 24 months, randomly assigned to three treatments in a complete
block design at the faculty farm in the Faculty of Agriculture at the Rajarata
University of Sri Lanka. Treatment 1 (T1) served as the control, provided with the
farm diet; 99.5% Megathyrsus maximus and 0.5% concentrates. Treatment 2 included
69.9% Megathyrsus maximus, 0.4% concentrates, and 35.7% azolla, while Treatment
3 consist of 32.4% Gliricidia sepium, 42.6% Megathyrsus maximus, 0.2%
concentrates, 23.8% azolla, and 1.0% mineral mixture. Daily feed intake and weekly
growth rates of the calves were recorded. Related to the first objective; the first
harvest of azolla was collected after one week of establishment, followed by
subsequent harvests of 1 kg on alternate days. Azolla must be harvested regularly to
prevent overgrowth, otherwise, the growth of new plants and the pond's ecosystem
are potentially disrupted. As expected, the mean feed intake (5.0±0.06kg calf-1
) was
significantly higher in T3 compared to T1 (4.7±0.06 kg calf-1
) and T2 (4.6±0.06 kg
calf-1
). Cattle in T3 exhibited a significantly higher mean body weight (120.8±5.23
kg) compared to T2 (111.7±5.23 kg) and T1 (106.1±5.23 kg). Moreover,
incorporating azolla into grass mixtures (T1 and T2) or providing young cattle with a
balanced diet (T3) can effectively promote healthier growth and development.
