Nutritive Analysis of Azolla pinnata and its Cultivation during Winter Season

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the nutritional composition of Azolla pinnata and its growth during winter stress as a livestock feed along with its propagation. The study was conducted at National dairy research institute Karnal on Azolla cultivation pits covered with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sheets during winter season and the mean level of Temperature humidity index was below 72 in the range of (68-70). After its full growth, Azolla pinnata was harvested, washed properly to remove smell and dried in sun. The sun dried Azolla was further used for proximate estimation and mineral analysis. The average percentage of DM content, organic matter %, crude protein, ether extract, ADF and NDF calculated during trial was 9.90, 79.7, 26.5, 3.9, 39.4, and 44.28 (% DM Basis) .The total ash content on DM % basis recorded was 20.3 %. The proximate analysis proved that Azolla is a rich source of protein and mineral profiling of Azolla pinnata in terms of calcium, phosphorous, potassium was 1.67%, 0.31% and 2.68% respectively (on percent DMB). From this study, it may be concluded that Azolla pinnata had high crude protein content and better mineral profiling so it can act as a potential protein supplement in the feed of livestock.