Energy value of cassava for young swine

A comparative slaughter experiment was conducted to determine the energy values of cassava chips for weanling pigs. A basal, highly fortified diet was fed to all pigs at 3% body weight daily. Treatments consisted of the addition of cassava chips at 0, 1, and 2% of body weight daily. The apparent digestion coefficients (ADC) for dry matter and energy increased but the ADC for nitrogen decreased with the addition of cassava chips to the basal diet. Digestible energy per gram decreased linearly and quadratically (P less than .01), but metabolizable energy and net energy per gram remained constant with the addition of cassava chips. Metabolizable energy as a percentage of digestible energy increased linearly and quadratically (P less than .01) with the addition of cassava chips to the basal diet. Daily gain of nitrogen, ether extract, and energy increased linearly (P less than .01) as cassava chips were added to the basal diet, but daily gain of ash remained relatively constant. Pooled energy values determined for cassava chips in kcal/g of dry matter were: gross energy, 4.04; digestible energy, 3.58; metabolizable energy, 3.48; nitrogen-corrected metabolizable energy, 3.22; and net energy, 2.57. Net energy of cassava chips for weanling pigs is close to that of corn.