Utilization of Stover from Six Improved Dual-Purpose Groundnut (Arachis Hypogaea L.) Cultivars by West African Dwarf Sheep (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is a cash crop cultivated in Nigeria and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa where the stover also serves as an excellent source of feed during the dry season. Plant breeders have always tried to develop groundnut cultivars that differ in fodder and grain yields to meet specific production targets [1]. However, such groundnut improvement programmes mostly focus on higher grain/pod yields, pest/disease resistance, and water stress tolerance while crop residue quality is rarely a priority [2, 3]. A study on 38 groundnut cultivars identified the six cultivars used in the present study as capable of producing appreciable quantities of both grains (peanuts) and hay (crop residues) with promising fodder quality [4, 5]. On-farm feed and forage yields studies conducted using three improved groundnut varieties and a local variety led to the conclusion that the improved varieties were better than the local varieties with respect to all the parameters assessed [6]. In a related study, it was shown that groundnut forage contained sufficient concentration of nutrients to support livestock production during the critical periods of the farming season, with the improved cultivars out-performing the local (control) cultivar [7].