A Nutritive Value of Iranian Mangrove Ecosystems,Northern Part of the Persian Gulf

Exploitation of mangrove leaves and branches as fodder for domestic animals by rural populations was the main reason for undertaking this study on nutritive values of Avicennia merina as a forage species for feeding domestic animals. The objective of this research was to determine the forage quality of leaves, branches, and roots of A. merina from the Bordekhoon, northern part of the Persian Gulf. Samples (leaf, root, and branch) of plants were selected using the randomized sampling method in the A. merina area. Samples were dried and analyzed at the laboratory by standard methods to determine the following parameters: dry matter, nitrogen, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, dry matter digestibility, dry matter intake, metabolizable energy, and relative forage quality index. Statistical methods, including analysis of variance and principal component analysis, were used for analyzing forage quality data. The results showed that different parts of the plant had significantly different forage qualities (P < 0.05). The leaves and branches of A. merina species had relatively high nutritive values.