Mesquite (Prosopis spp.) tree as a feed resource for animal growth

Mesquite tree (Prosopis spp.), is an important species in arid zones, due to its nitrogen-fixing and adaptability to drought seasons, it also provides food for many species of wild animals which feed on its nectar, pollen, leaves and pods. This plant is an excellent source of protein, fiber, sugars and phytochemical compounds such as alkaloids, tannins, phenolics, steroids, terpenes and flavonoids. Mesquite has been used in farm animal nutrition as supplement with recommended proportions between 20 and 40%. The nutritional contributions also depend on the usage of pods or foliage, however, most of the studies highly recommend an enzymatic pretreatment to increase the biomass digestibility. Its nutritional characteristics and ability to grow under scarce water conditions turn it as a potential source to replace expensive forages for farm animal feeding especially in semiarid regions; however, the results in animal feeding are diverse. The usage of tree species in arid zones for animal feeding has been long proposed, but, for Prosopis spp. there are few updated studies despite of its potential usage. This work presents a general overview of the mesquite tree usage in animal feed.