Feedipedia
Animal feed resources information system
Feedipedia
Feedipedia

Did you find the information you were looking for? Is it valuable to you? Feedipedia is encountering funding shortage. We need your help to keep providing reference-based feeding recommendations for your animals.
Would you consider donating? If yes, please click on the button Donate.

Any amount is the welcome. Even one cent is helpful to us!

Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This datasheet is pending revision and updating; its contents are currently derived from FAO's Animal Feed Resources Information System (1991-2002) and from Bo Göhl's Tropical Feeds (1976-1982).

Datasheet

Description
Click on the "Nutritional aspects" tab for recommendations for ruminants, pigs, poultry, rabbits, horses, fish and crustaceans
Common names 

Water spinach, swamp cabbage, liseron d'eau, kangkong, chinese water spinach, swamp morning-glory, water convolvulus, patate aquatique, wasserspinat, kangkong, kangkung, cancon, espinaca acuática

Synonyms 

Ipomoea reptans Poir.

Related feed(s) 
Description 

A variable water and marsh plant with creeping hollow water-filled stems and shiny green leaves. The big funnel-shaped flowers, 2-5 cm long, are purple or white.

Nutritional aspects
Nutritional attributes 

Sometimes cultivated for food, and used for pig and cattle feed in Southeast Asia, where it is grown in ponds fertilized with sewage. Very palatable and high yielding.

Potential constraints 

Heavy feeding may cause watery faeces.

Rabbits 

Water spinach is palatable to rabbits (Doan Thi Gang et al., 2006) but the leaves are more easily eaten than the stems (Hongthong Phimmmasan et al., 2004). In rabbits fed a concentrate diet, fresh water spinach resulted in a slightly higher intake and daily gain (21.9 g/d) than sweet potato vines (Ipomoea batatas). The best performance was obtained when adding Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus) to sweet potato vines, water spinach or a mixture of both forages, though the digestibility of the diets was lower (Doan Thi Gang et al., 2006). Rabbits fed only on fresh water spinach gained 18.1 g/d (Hongthong Phimmmasan et al., 2004). See also Bui Phan Thu Hang et al., 2011

Nutritional tables

Avg: average or predicted value; SD: standard deviation; Min: minimum value; Max: maximum value; Nb: number of values (samples) used

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This datasheet is pending revision and updating; its contents are currently derived from FAO's Animal Feed Resources Information System (1991-2002) and from Bo Göhl's Tropical Feeds (1976-1982).

Main analysis Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Dry matter % as fed 9.2 1
Crude protein % DM 34.3 1
Crude fibre % DM 10.2 1
Ether extract % DM 3.9 1
Ash % DM 12.9 1
Gross energy MJ/kg DM 18.3 *

The asterisk * indicates that the average value was obtained by an equation.

References

Payne, 1956

Last updated on 24/10/2012 00:45:19

The asterisk * indicates that the average value was obtained by an equation.

Last updated on 24/10/2012 00:45:19

Main analysis Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Dry matter % as fed 13.6 12.1 15.0 2
Crude protein % DM 21.4 5.3 14.1 26.4 4
Crude fibre % DM 14.2 1.6 12.7 15.8 3
NDF % DM 30.1 1
ADF % DM 23.5 1
Lignin % DM 10.0 1
Ether extract % DM 2.9 2.7 3.1 2
Ash % DM 18.3 7.3 13.3 28.7 4
Gross energy MJ/kg DM 16.4 *
 
Minerals Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Calcium g/kg DM 6.9 1.8 12.0 2
Phosphorus g/kg DM 5.6 2.8 8.4 2
Potassium g/kg DM 18.3 1
Magnesium g/kg DM 1.9 1
Manganese mg/kg DM 733 1
Zinc mg/kg DM 1137 1
Copper mg/kg DM 7 1

The asterisk * indicates that the average value was obtained by an equation.

References

CIRAD, 1991; FAO/US. Dpt of Health, 1968; Khuc Thi Hue et al., 2006

Last updated on 24/10/2012 00:45:19

Main analysis Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Crude protein % DM 18.8 1
Crude fibre % DM 20.9 1
Ether extract % DM 2.1 1
Ash % DM 18.2 1
Gross energy MJ/kg DM 16.4 *
 
Minerals Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Calcium g/kg DM 7.1 1
Phosphorus g/kg DM 3.2 1
Potassium g/kg DM 52.2 1
Sodium g/kg DM 2.1 1
Magnesium g/kg DM 4.2 1
 
Pig nutritive values Unit Avg SD Min Max Nb
Energy digestibility, growing pig % 57.2 *
DE growing pig MJ/kg DM 9.4 *

The asterisk * indicates that the average value was obtained by an equation.

References

Bartha, 1970

Last updated on 24/10/2012 00:45:19

References
References 
Datasheet citation 

DATASHEET UNDER CONSTRUCTION. DO NOT QUOTE. https://feedipedia.org/node/136 Last updated on January 31, 2013, 11:20