Effet de différents niveaux de supplémentation de feuilles de Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A.Gray sur l'ingestion et la digestibilité in vivo de Pennisetum purpureum K. Schum. chez le cobaye (Cavia porcellus L)

Effect of Different Levels of Supplementation with Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsl.) A.Gray on Feed Intake and in vivo Digestibility of Pennisetum purpureum K. Schum. in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus L.). The effect of the supplementation with Tithonia diversifolia on feed intake and in vivo digestibility in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus L.) was studied during 17 days at the teaching and research farm of the University of Dschang in West-Cameroon. Forty guinea pigs (20 males and 20 females) aged between 4 and 6 months with an average weight of 543.95±74.63 g were randomly allotted to four groups of 5 males and 5 females. The first group represented the control group (T0) received only Pennisetum purpureum. The second (T20), third (T25), and fourth (T30) groups received respectively 20, 25 and 30% of T. diversifolia as supplements, per animal and per day. The experimental feed and the refusals were weighed each day for feed intake evaluation. The samples of P. purpureum and T. diversifolia fed to animals and the feces of each animal were analyzed to evaluate the apparent digestibility of the nutrients. The animals were weighed at the beginning and at the end of the trial, for the body weight gain evaluation. The results of this study showed that mean daily feed intake (DM) for the treatments T0, T20, T25 and T30 were 50.20±5.92; 55.70±6.11; 57.69±4.83; 58.12±7.16 g /d for males and 35.66±6.23; 42.04±6.30; 43.52±4.74 and 41.44±6.54 g/d for females respectively. The intake of supplemented diets were significantly (P0.05) between the four diets. The apparent digestibility coefficients of DM, OM and CP of supplemented diets were significantly higher (P