peer reviewed | The feeding of ruminants in the Democratic Republic of Congo is based on the use of natural vegetation. This vegetation is characterised by grasses and rarely legumes. In addition to this, the lack of legumes in the southern part of the country means that the dry season becomes longer (over 6 months). This leads farmers with the financial means, to use commercial foods, most of which are imported. Grasses which form the basis of forage remain as straws in the dry season. They have a digestibility of less than 45%, and are very low in nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as other minerals, which further limits their feed intake (Chenost and Kayouli 1997; Jarrige 1987). The use of locally available protein banks to supplement poor foods is therefore essential. In the same region, soils are increasingly contaminated with heavy metals from mining activities. The choice of sustainable and high protein plant species should be dictated by their adaptation to environmental conditions, including high levels of heavy metals in soil. They must also be adapted to the long dry season and provide fodder throughout the year. Among the species encountered, Adenodolichos rhomboideus is the most resistant to drought and is widespread in the region (INEAC 1954). It grows on normal soil or that contaminated by heavy metals (Faucon 2009; Meerts 2008 and Tshibangu et al 2014c). Two other species, Leucaena leucocephala and Stylosanthes guianensis are durable and are used in ruminant diets, but are neither widespread nor adapted to the contaminated soil Tshibangu et al 2014ab. The objective of this study was to compare the use of A. rhomboideus, L. leucocephala and S. guianensis forage as a complement to grass hay on the growth of local goats at Lubumbashi.

peer reviewed | Hays of graminaceous species (I. cylindrica and S. palidefusca) of low quality (30g/kg dry matter (DM) Crude Protein (CP) was offered to 16 goats (8 males, 8 females), alone or with one of three tropical leguminous plants (153g/kg, 104g/kg and 305,6g/kg DM respectively). The supplementation increased total DM, energy and CP intakes and consequently allowed the weight of the goats to increase. The fodder of L. leucocephala gave the best results, while that of S. guianensis gave the lowest. Fodder of A. rhomboideus is a potential nitrogen-source supplement for poor fodder in the dry season for ruminants.