Gliricidia

Introduction

Gliricidia sepium, commonly known as Gliricidia, Quickstick or “Undirmari” in Maharashtra, is a fast-growing leguminous tree found abundantly in Pune region as a fence tree. Its leaves contain a high amount of protein (23-28% Crude Protein) along with calcium and nitrogen.

Nutrient	Amount per 1 kg dry leaves
Nitrogen (N)	29–43 g
Calcium (Ca)	About 14 g
Crude protein equivalent	About 180–270 g

Aim

Humans cannot consume it due to its bitter taste and presence of an anti-nutritional factor – Coumarin.We are trying to utilize its green biomass in two ways: in BSF larvae diet and in hen diet.

Objectives

a) To evaluate nutritional composition and biomass yield of Gliricidia sepium.

b) To assess the potential of Gliricidia green biomass as a protein ingredient in BSF larvae diet when mixed with kitchen waste.

c) To assess the potential of Gliricidia leaf meal as a protein ingredient in hen diet.

d) To find optimum inclusion level of Gliricidia biomass in BSF and hen diet without affecting growth and palatability.

e) To reduce feed cost by utilizing low-maintenance, high-biomass resources.

Procedure

1) Collection & Processing of Biomass: Collect 2kg green biomass (fresh leaves) from naturally grown trees . Shade dry / wilt for 2 days to reduce coumarin content, chop 2-3 cm .

2) Fermentation of the dried leaves:After drying the weight was 500gm .So we crushed the leaves into more small pieces.Took 1 liter of water in a bucket, added 50 gm of jaggery and 50 gram of curd.Mix well and add the leaves and stir .Cover the open space with a colth .Now keep this for 3-5 days.Stir the culture colckwise once everday.