Woody species used as forage resources in Tolima’s sheep-goat production

Abstract

The introduction of woody species in sheep-goat farms presents acceptable biomass yields and protein contents; in addition, they improve the nutritional contributions of ruminants. The objective of this work is to recognize the different woody species that have a greater presence in sheep-goat production in the department of Tolima, as well as the advantages of these. For this, it was based on the analysis of surveys carried out in the project Innovation and scientific technical management for the development of the sheep goat chain of the department of Tolima (INNOVIS). A bromatological analysis was carried out on the three forage species identified as the most used by producers. It was found that the species with the greatest presence in the surveyed productions were: Gliricidia sepium, Guazuma ulmifolia and Leucaena leucocephala. The use of woody species as nutritional alternatives can benefit sheep-goat productivity in the department of Tolima.
Key words: bromatological analysis, tropical dry forest, surveys, ruminant nutrition.