ÁRBOLES FORRAJEROS DE TRES REGIONES GANADERAS DE CHIAPAS, MÉXICO: USOS Y CARACTERÍSTICAS NUTRICIONALES Fodder trees from three livestock regions of Chiapas, Mexico: use and nutritional characteristics

The study aimed to identify trees with forage potential in three regions of Chiapas, Mexico, as well as their uses, chemical composition and characteristics of ruminal decomposition. A questionnaire was applied to livestock farmers in the Costa, Frontera and Norte regions of Chiapas. The results were processed using frequencies and percen- tages. The study led to the identification of 103 species recognised as fodder trees for livestock, however, 17 species were most mentioned as forage, particularly those of the family Fabaceae. Through a grazing simulation, samples of the most mentioned species were obtained to determine the chemical composition and ruminal decomposition characteris- tics using the nylon bag technique. The results obtained for the chemical composition and ruminal degradability were analysed with an analysis of variance for a completely randomised design, considering the tree species as treatments and three repetitions per treatment. The species studied presented a variety of uses, apart from forage, including live hedges, wood, timber and medicine. The criteria considered by the livestock farmers to choose a species were related to the fact that animals browse on specific plants and to the foliar biomass production. Most species presented acceptable nutritional contents and an adequate decomposition, rendering their use in livestock production promissory. The most promissory species were Guazuma ulmifolia, Parmetiera edulis, Cordia dentata, Pithecellobium dulce, Acacia milleriana,