Does anyone know some nutritional properties of the tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum) as a ruminant feed?
In some Costa Rican farms, people are using the tomato plant (stems + leaves) to feed sheep and dairy cows. We are analyzing this as a feed, but we need more information in order to do a better characterization.
Hello Mr Garipoglu (or Mr Vaiz, I don't Know, sorry!!!)
Values of 13,56 and 17,6 were reported in tomato leaves by Osama et al (2013) and Ventura et al (2009), respectively. Analyzing tems, Ventura et al (2009) reported 18,4%. In whole tomato plant (stems+leaves), Lofti (nd) indicated a value of 19% and Ventura et al (2009) 18.1%.
I think that values between 20-25% can be possible in certain agricultural conditions, dependind on the soil type, maturity of the plant, fertilization levels. Also, if your samples are soil-contaminated, it can be expected higher ash levels.
Also, as a part of the silage process, you could use some additives that hightened your crude ash levels.
I hope this answer can be useful for you. If it isn't, please say it to me.
I attached the publications cited. I'm very sad, but I cannot give you any Costarican info, beacause I didn't received yet analysis results of my sample.
Hello Mr Garipoglu (or Mr Vaiz, I don't Know, sorry!!!)
Values of 13,56 and 17,6 were reported in tomato leaves by Osama et al (2013) and Ventura et al (2009), respectively. Analyzing tems, Ventura et al (2009) reported 18,4%. In whole tomato plant (stems+leaves), Lofti (nd) indicated a value of 19% and Ventura et al (2009) 18.1%.
I think that values between 20-25% can be possible in certain agricultural conditions, dependind on the soil type, maturity of the plant, fertilization levels. Also, if your samples are soil-contaminated, it can be expected higher ash levels.
Also, as a part of the silage process, you could use some additives that hightened your crude ash levels.
I hope this answer can be useful for you. If it isn't, please say it to me.
I attached the publications cited. I'm very sad, but I cannot give you any Costarican info, beacause I didn't received yet analysis results of my sample.
Cirad - La recherche agronomique pour le développement
There is a paper by Myriam Ventura with some analyses and in sacco degradation parameters:
Ventura, M. R. ; Pieltin, M. C. ; Castanon, J. I. R., 2009. Evaluation of tomato crop by-products as feed for goats. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 154 (3-4): 271-275
I seem to recall an issue with nitrates (?) and also that sheep eating "tomato hay' urinated excessively causing there to be issue with air quality (ammonia smell) and bedding being wet
I'm not a specialist about tomato chemical composition, my question was a matter of curiosity. It seems that alpha-tomatin is a toxic component we can find in green parts.
Moreover, I can testify that some people working long enough in greenhouse who can contract a form of skin and/or respiratory allergy. It's only a human concern but it can match with the hypothesis that these green parts contain one or more toxic products.
I read the Ventura paper and it seems tha goat suffer from intestinal disorder if they eat to much tomato fruit. Nothing about vegetative parts, only chemical data about theorical digestibility.
At this moment I don't have any picture of the product itself. The product has been grown on a greenhouse, I think, but i'm not sure at this moment. It is offered fresh, without any tratment. In that farm, the tomato plant is used as alternative to cut-and-carry grass, and the animals receive variable quantities of both feeds. The product is really bad stored, beacause in the farm where we see the product, they put it outdoors. Our objective is to identify what are the nutritional and antinutritional properties of this feedstuff, and how much tomato plant is convenient to use. I don't know yet the dairy facility using tomato plant, only a sheep farm. Staff of the farm reports diarrhea, in sheeps consuming this plant during about a month, but, as they don't manage very well the product and don't know how much to provide, we are waiting to make any hypothesis.
Tomato by-products are usually fed to ruminants due to their high fibre content. They are not excellent feed ingredients, being less digestible than most major oil meal and protein sources. They can be bitter and should then be used together with more palatable feeds. However, they can be a valuable source of protein, energy and fibre and cost-effective (Göhl, 1982; Caluya et al., 2003). In the Phillipines, Caluya et al., 2003 recommend to include tomato pomace at up to 50 % of the daily roughage requirement irrespective of whether it is fresh, dry or ensiled. The pomace should be given before the roughage or mixed (particularly when dry) thoroughly with the chopped roughage.
Feeding animals with tomato by-products is therefore a valuable way to prevent ... Tomatine may have medicinal properties such as antibiotic, anticancer, ... Their physical form, chemical composition and subsquent nutritional value depend on the ... Tomato pomace ensiled with whole maize plant up to 12 % (DM basis) ..
Tomato pomace is the remaining residue after processing the tomato fruit, not the tomato plant itself. As with other members of the nightshade family, I believe the tomato plants themselves contain compounds (solanine, et al.) that will be detrimental to ruminants, though I have no proof of such a claim.
Luis, please analyse and share the results. What I have noticed with tomato palnts is that, the plant matures as rapidly as the fruits are being harvested. By the time the plant has stopped producing fruits and the last set of fruits is ripe, the plant has lost most leaves and whatever leaves are left, they would be discolored and stems look really fbrous. I am not sure about anti-nutritional substances,but i believe there should be some in the tomato palnt. Please finish your analyses and we can take it from there. It should be interesting!
Acetone and ethanol extracts of Albizia saman (ASL) and Tithonia diversifolia (TDL) leaves used as fodder for ruminant were evaluated for their antibacterial properties against selected pathogenic bacteria. Phytochemical screening was determined according to standard procedures, while antibacterial activity was by agar well diffusion and broth micr...
The aim was to evaluate how the fodder pre-dehydration time and its phenological stages influence on ruminal degradability and digestibility of ryegrass silage. The evaluated samples consisted of treatments: Vegetative: Cut and ensiled; cut + 4 hours pre-drying and ensiled and; cut + 7 hours pre-drying and ensiled; Pre-flowering: Silage cutting and...
The agricultural activity has generated a progressive amount of waste, which needs a proper treatment to avoid negative environmental impacts. At the same time, values can be added to such waste, as its use in animal feed. This research was conducted at the laboratory of Animal Nutrition, State University of Southwestern Bahia, campuses of Vitória...