Effect of cassava (Manihot esculenta) foliage on nutrition, parasite infection and growth of lambs

The effects of feeding wilted cassava foliage (WCF) on the growth of Martinik lambs and the parasite Haemonchus contortus (Hc) were evaluated. Thirty 6-month-old Martinik lambs (body weight: 20.3±1.6kg) were allocated to one of the three treatments. The basal diet consisted of Dichanthium spp. hay ad libitum plus cassava tuber (450g/lamb/day). In addition, depending on the experimental treatment, they received alfalfa pellets (450g/lamb/day) or WCF (650g/lamb/day) or WCF (650g/lamb/day)+PEG (25g/lamb/day). At the beginning of the trial, each lamb was inoculated with a single dose of 10,000 third-stage larvae of Hc.