Two experiments were conducted to identify the optimal ensiling conditions of taro petiole and leaf (TPL) mixture and the effects of replacing commercial concentrate with TPL-waste silage on production parameters and nutrient digestibility in pigs. Experiment 1 was conducted with a completely randomized design consisting of five treatments and four replicates with different proportions of TPL mixture and taro peel ensiled over 60 days. Experiment 2 involved 12 castrated male Duroc x (Landrace x Yorkshire) pigs of 35 kg being allocated into a completely randomized block design with three diets: 100% concentrate (Control) and concentrate replaced by 10% (S 10 ) and 20% (S 20 ) of TPL silage. In Experiment 1, the pH of treatments declined rapidly from day 1-30 but remained stable thereafter. Dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and calcium oxalate (CO) contents of the silages dropped sharply up to day 30 with no significant changes thereafter - except for CO, which continued to fall to below 1% for the treatment of 50% TPL (TPL 50 ) and those with lower TPL by day 60. The TPL 50 for 60 days duration was selected to prepare the TPL silage for Experiment 2. No significant differences were found among the three treatments in feed intake, body weight gain, and nutrient digestibility. Similarly, there were no differences in DM, organic matter, CP digestibility, and feed conversion ratio among treatments. The ratio of TPL mixture at 50% is favorable for ensiling. Concentrate diets can be replaced with up to 20% taro-waste silage without negative impacts on pig performance and apparent digestibility.

Keywords | Colocasia esculenta, Performance, Petioles and Leaves, Pig, Silage