PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

Cassava root is rich in energy but low in protein. New varieties developed exhibit better nutritional profile. An 8-week experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of 2 varieties of cassava root meal (CRM) with various additives on nutrient digestibility energy, metabolizable and carcass traits of broilers. Two hundred and forty unsexed day-old broilers were allotted to 8 dietary treatments in a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of white (TME 419) and yellow (ITA/IBD/1368) CRM supplemented with no additive, amino acids (methionine and lysine), enzyme and amino acids + enzyme (A.A + Enz). The experiment lasted for the starter (0 - 4 weeks) and finisher (5-8weeks) phases. Variety effect showed higher (p<0.05) nutrient digestibilities in finisher broilers fed with white cassava than yellow. White cassava + amino acids showed higher EED and ASHD while yellow cassava with amino acids + enzyme yielded improved nutrient digestibilities. White cassava variety revealed higher (p<0.05) metabolizable energy values than yellow. Broilers fed white cassava + enzyme had the highest (p<0.05) metabolizable energy values. In conclusion, supplementing yellow CRM with A.A + Enz improved nutrient digestibility only at the starter phase. Supplementation of white cassava diet with enzyme and amino acid at the starter and finisher phases respectively, improved energy metabolizablility.