Fahrul Irawan, a UNE PhD student on a PIPARA scholarship, is currently conducting an experiment to understand the effect of leucaena toxicity on sheep semen quality and to determine the possible physiological mechanisms involved, as well as potential strategies for using leucaena in a breeding enterprise.

The forage tree legume Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena) is a high-quality feed which can improve the nutrition of ruminant livestock in tropical countries. However, the use of this legume for feed for breeding males and females has historically been restricted, largely due to the presence of secondary toxic compounds, such as mimosine and DHP, in all parts of the plant.  These compounds may have a deleterious effect on animal reproduction.  Several studies on small ruminants and rodents indicate that leucaena toxicity could damage the reproductive performance of males through decreased libido and reduced sperm quality.  

Clear information on this issue is lacking and farmers throughout the world are wary to feed leucaena to breeding males.  Through his research, Fahrul, hopes to shed light on the effects of leucaena toxicity on sheep semen quality.