Advocacy for using indigenous plants as livestock feed is growing, especially for poultry production in developing countries that are challenged by increasing ingredient importation costs. Corchorus olitorius is an underutilized plant broadly adapted globally between 50° N & S that is used widely as a leafy vegetable crop; however, little is known about the nutritional value of C. olitorius for poultry feed. Consequently, C. olitorius leaves were collected from multiple sites in three diverse regions of Botswana in 2025 to evaluate the nutritive value of native and improved ecotypes, with each site having 3 replicates in a completely randomized design. Leaves of C. olitorius contain sufficient levels of crude protein (CP) (205–313 g kg−1), fat (17–39 g kg−1), and several essential minerals to potentially minimize the amount of supplementation necessary from imported sources, but crude fiber (CF) levels (46–128 g kg−1) would require management to prevent that interfering with digestion. Consequently, leaves of C. olitorius may be of value for burgeoning poultry industries; however, excessive Fe content of C. olitorius leaves would need to be addressed in any ration but may present an opportunity for utilization as an organic feed supplement.
- Open Access
- Article
Nutritive Value of Corchorus olitorius Leaves as a Potential Poultry Feed in Tropical Semiarid Regions
- Senewa Bobby Pholoma 1,
- Leonard M. Lauriault 2,*,
- Mark A. Marsalis 3,
- Njoki Kahiu 4,
- Goitseone Malambane 1,
- Gulelat D. Haki 5,
- Seoleseng O. Tshwenyane 1
Author Information
Received: 13 May 2026 | Revised: 25 Jun 2026 | Accepted: 15 Jul 2026 | Published: 10 Aug 2026
Abstract
Keywords
Corchorus olitorius | alternative feed | broiler chickens | poultry | native plants
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