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Description:
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The large production of livestock on the Southern High Plains each year results in needs to handle manure and wastewater . The beef and swine Industries are incorporating manure waste management plans to ensure a stable environment . Aquatic plants have been used for many years as an integral part of wastewater treatment . One aquatic plant , duckweed , is providing high removal rates of nutrients and potential pollutants . Studies have reported crude protein in duckweed as high as 45 % . The high crude protein values offer possibilities of incorporation into animal feeding operations .
In the formulation of swine rations , protein or more specifically amino acids are critical to growth and performance . The aquatic plant duckweed has similar crude protein levels and contains essential amino acids like lysine , threonine , and tryptophan that needed in swine rations . Experiment 1 utilized sixty -four nursery pigs in a feeding trial to determine the effects of replacing soybean meal with duckweed as the crude protein supplement . The data from the 21 -day growth trial indicated there was a significant increase (P <0 .05 ) in average daily gains between the 40 % and 60 % replacement of soybean meal with duckweed treatments and the control treatment with no differences (P >0 .10 ) in feed efficiency . Pigs fed duckweed treatments had a long -term effect on weight gain as indicated by higher (P <0 .025 ) final slaughter weights . |