Page 88 - Agroforestry system - book inner (final corrected) - 9.-3-21_Neat

National level e-symposium on “Agroforestry system for augmenting livestock
productivity and empowering resource poor rural farmers”

Materials and methods

Six samples of neem leaves were collected from different districts across Tamil Nadu. The collected
samples were suitably cleaned from extraneous matter, estimated for their moisture content (AOAC, 2012),
shade dried for 72 hours and ground to pass through 1 mm sieve using a Willey mill. The ground samples
were stored in air tight containers for further analysis. In order to determine the proximate composition
(crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract, total ash and nitrogen free extract) and acid insoluble ash content of
the samples were determined as per AOAC, (2012). The gross energy content (kcal/kg) of the samples was
determined by calculation from proximate principles estimated as per the equation of Halvar et al., (1976).
Mineral analyses (calcium, phosphorus, copper, iron and manganese) of the samples were carried out as per
AOAC (2012).

Results and Discussion
The results of proximate composition (Moisture, crude protein, crude fibre, ether extract, total ash and
nitrogen free extract), acid insoluble ash, gross energy and mineral content (calcium, phosphorus, copper,
iron and manganese) of the samples are presented in Table 1. Among the samples analysed leaves contain
61.67 per cent of moisture and 16.37 per cent of crude protein, 12.84 per cent of crude fibre, 2.35 per cent of
ether extract and 8.20 per cent of total ash, 0.74 per cent and 1660.33 kcal/g. Yogesh et al., 2018 stated that
determining the nutritional value of herbs can be beneficial in validating their use as a feed additive in ration
of livestock and poultry for their better utilization and optimum productivity of the species to which it is
being fed. Among the macro minerals the leaves contain 2.99 per cent calcium, 0.24 per cent of phosphorous.
Among the trace mineral analysed leaves contain 18.48 ppm of copper, 423.56 ppm of iron and 64 ppm of
Manganese. This concurs with Lokhande et al. (2009) who stated that most of the medicinal plants are rich in
one or more of the minerals. Variations in the mineral content of the of this study compared to earlier reports
is mainly attributed to the differences in botanical structure, as well as in the mineral composition of the soil in
which the plants are cultivated. Other factors responsible for a variation in elemental content are preferential
absorbability of the plant, use of fertilizers, irrigation water and climatological conditions (Rajurkar and
Pardeshi, 1997).

Table: 1 Proximate composition, acid insoluble ash, gross energy and mineral content of neem
leaves (Mean + S.E)
S.No Name of the parameter Content

1 Moisture (%) 61.67 ± 0.22
2 Crude protein (%) 16.37 ± 0.33
3 Crude fibre (%) 12.84 ± 0.14

4 Ether extract (%) 2.35 ± 0.13
5 Total ash (%) 8.20 ± 0.26

6 Nitrogen free extract 60.24 ± 0.29
7 Acid insoluble ash (%) 0.74 ± 0.04

Institute of Animal Nutrition, Centre for Animal Production Studies, TANUVAS
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development 69