Evaluation of yields and nutritive composition of dual purpose sweet potato vine cultivars for forage use

Abstract

The sweet potato vine (SPV) is a widely grown but underutilized feed resource for livestock. The vines have desirable characteristics suitable for fodder production due to high contents of protein and digestible energy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the yield and nutritive composition of five dual purpose cultivars based on vine production for forage use. The experimental design was arranged in randomized complete block design where six cultivars of sweet potato were established in plots of 2.5m x 2.5m in three replicates. The cultivars used were; Kenspot 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. An improved forage type cultivar (Wagbolige) served as a control. Data was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using a general linear model (SAS, 2002). Results showed that there was no significant difference (p