National Diary Research Insititute, Karnal132001 (Haryana), India.
*Present Address ; Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Sydney, Camden (N.S.W.), Australia, 2570.
Online published on 21 January, 2012.
Twelve isonitrogenous substrates, formulated to contain three sources of dietary energy e.g., wheat straw, sugarcane molasses and barley grain in various proportions with lucerne hay, were incubated with rumen liquor obtained from buffalo and cattle. The average production of volatile fatty acids (VFA) was more (P<0.01) with the substrates containing barley and molasses than straw and increased (P< 0.01) as a function of time. The values were higher (P<0.01) with buffalo rumen inocula to that of cattle. Molar proportion of acetic acid was more (P<0.01) with straw than barley and molasses. The proportion of propionic acid was more(P<0.01) with barley and that of butyric acid was higher (P<0.01) with molasses than the other treatments. The pH values decreased (P<0.01) with the increase in period of incubation. The decrease was more (P< 0.01) with barley and molasses than with straw.
