*Cattle farm, R.A.U., Pusa (Samastipur), Bihar, Pin. 848 125
Department of Animal Science, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar-263 145, India
Online published on 29 December, 2011.
Straws of four rice cultivars, namely Ratna, IR-24, PD-6 and N-359 were collected, separated into leaf and stem portions, ground (2mm size) and analyzed for their chemical composition and in sacco digestibility of nutrients. Acid insoluble ash, NDF, ADF (P<0.05) and hemicellulose (P<0.01) differed significantly among the cultivars. The overall per cent to total ash, AIA, CP and HC contents were significanlty (P<0.05) higher in leaf than that in stem fraction. The digestibility of all the nutrients in stem was higher than in leaf fraction. It was concluded that significant variations exist in chemical composition and digestibility among whole straw of different rice cultivars as well as between leaf and stem fractions.
Rice straw, Cultivars, Genetic variation, Leaf and stem
