Plants used to feed ruminants in semi-arid Brazil: A study of nutritional composition guided by local ecological knowledge

By:Nunes, AT (Nunes, Alissandra Trajano)^{[ 1 ]} ; Cabral, DLV (Vasconcelos Cabral, Daniela Lyra)^{[ 2 ]} ; Amorim, ELC (Cavalcanti Amorim, Elba Lucia)^{[ 2 ]} ; dos Santos, MVF (Ferreira dos Santos, Mercia Virginia)^{[ 3 ]} ; Albuquerque, UP (Albuquerque, Ulysses Paulino)^{[ 1 ]}

JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS

Volume: 135

Pages: 96-103

DOI: 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2016.08.015

Published: DEC 2016

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Abstract

This study evaluated the plants of the Caatinga (seasonal dry forest) used as forage in rural communities in northeastern Brazil by comparing the known nutritional composition of species with the nutritional attributes described by the local people. Key informants were selected using the snowball technique, and these informants used their local knowledge to characterize 30 species according to their nutritional attributes and local preferences regarding their use. The nutritional composition of all of the previously described species was favorable for ruminant diets, but for some species (22), there were no prior records of their nutritional or anti-nutritional properties. The most culturally salient species included Waltheria rotundifolia Schrank, Merremia aegyptia (L) Urb., Croton blanchetianus Baill., Spondias tuberosa Arruda and Tragus berteronianus Schult. The salience values (local importance) were significantly correlated with crude protein (CP) levels but not with the anti-nutritional constituents, such as tannins, indicating that these factors did not affect local preferences. The data confirm the reliability of local knowledge in evaluating the nutritional value of forage species. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Author Keywords:Anti-nutritional factors; Ethnobotany; Ethnobiology; Ethnoveterinary; Fodder plants; Traditional ecological knowledge

KeyWords Plus:FODDER; FORAGE

Author Information

Reprint Address: Albuquerque, UP (reprint author)

Univ Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Biol, Lab Ecol & Evolut Social Ecol Syst LEA, BR-52171900 Recife, PE, Brazil.

Addresses:

	[ 1 ] Univ Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Biol, Lab Ecol & Evolut Social Ecol Syst LEA, BR-52171900 Recife, PE, Brazil
	[ 2 ] Univ Fed Pernambuco, Dept Farm, BR-50740521 Recife, PE, Brazil
	[ 3 ] Univ Fed Rural Pernambuco, Dept Zootecnia, BR-52171900 Recife, PE, Brazil

E-mail Addresses:upa677@hotmail.com

Funding

Funding Agency	Grant Number
Pernambuco State Foundation for Science and Technology (FACEPE)
Brazilian National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico - CNPq)

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