Effect of Supplementing Green Forages with Straws From Two Rice Varieties on Nutrient Utilization in Cattle

Four rumen fistulated bullocks were fed on straw of two different varieties of rice viz., Ratna and Narendra-359. The digestion trials were carried out in a switch over design, to have four replications on each straw. Similarly, two more digestion trials were carried out by supplementing the above straw varieties with green oat or berseem. The straw of Narendra-359 was significantly (p<0.05) better in respect of dry matter, organic matter, NDF stnd hemicellulose digestibility and ruminal TVFA concentration and nitrogen fractions. The degradation constant (c) for DM was higher in Narendra-359 over that of Ratna, when rice straw was the sole diet. These results suggest that supplementation of rice straw with green fodder improved the intake and nutrient digestibility significantly over thestrawfeedingalone. The improvement in digestibilities was greater in Ratna (low nutritive value) than that of Narendra-359, when these straws were supplemented with green fodder.