Effect of replacing soybean protein with protein from porcupine joint vetch (Aeschynomene histrix BRA 9690) and stylo (Stylosanthes guianensis Composite) leaf meal on growth performance of native (Moo Lath) Lao pigs.

The effect of replacing soybean crude protein (CP) with legume leaf meal (LLM) CP on feed intake, growth performance and carcass traits was studied in native female Moo Lath Lao pigs. The diets comprised one traditional diet (T) without soybean meal, one control diet (C) with soybean meal and six diets iso-nitrogenous with diet C in which soybean protein was replaced (33, 66 and 100 % of CP) with LLM CP from porcupine joint vetch (PLM) or Stylosanthes (SLM). Feed and water were offered ad libitum. Replacing soybean CP with LLM CP reduced (P < 0.05) intake of dry matter (DMI), CP (CPI), metabolisable energy (MEI), final body weight (BW) and average daily gain (ADG), but had no effect (P > 0.05) on feed conversion ratio (FCR). Increasing the replacement rate of soybean CP with LLM CP had a negative linear effect (P < 0.001) on DMI, CPI, MEI, final BW and ADG, and on all carcass traits except lean meat percentage. There were no differences in dressing percentage or organ weight and length between treatments. Supplementing diet T with soybean meal resulted in higher (P < 0.05) DMI, CPI and MEI, lower (P < 0.05) FCR, and higher (P < 0.05) final BW and ADG. Slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, eye muscle thickness, back fat, fat in carcass and lean meat were lower (P < 0.05) with diet T than diet C. In conclusion, LLM from stylo and porcupine joint vetch can be used as a CP source to partially replace soybean meal CP in the diet of growing native female Moo Lath Lao pigs.