Evaluation of feed concentrate with cassava leaf meal (manihot esculenta crantz) in fattening pigs.

Twenty four Landrace x Yorkshire pigs (12 castrated males and 12 females) with an average initial weight of 50 3 Kg were used to evaluate different levels of cassava leaf meal T1:0, T2:10, T3:20% (CLM) in the feed concentrate during the fattening stage (90 +/- 5Kg final weight). A completely randomized design and a leastsguare analysis of variance were used. The average daily gain, (ADG) total weight gain (TWG) and total feed in take (TFI) were similar for all treatments (ADG: 0.764, 0.744 and 0.699 Kg; TWG: 32.12, 31.25 and 29.37 Kg; TFI: 130.55, 129.11 and 130.68Kg, respectively). On the other hand the feed efficiency was similar in T1 and T2 but better then T3 (4.07, 4.17 and 4.46 Kg, P<0.05). Animals in all treatments reach the final weight (90 Kg) at similar time (54.55 and 57 days, respectively). The results indicate that the CLM can be used at the 20% level during the fattening stage.