DEGRADATION CHARACTERISTICS OF SOME TROPICAL FEEDS IN THE RUMEN

The rumen degradability of rice straw (untreated, urea-sprayed, urea-treated), grasses (Panicum maximum, Pennisetum clandestinum) and rice bran was compared. The mean in vivo organic matter digestibility of the untreated (US), urea-supplemented (SS) and urea-ammonia treated (TS) rice straw were 50.9, 53.9 and 57.4%, respectively. Rice bran contained extremely high levels of acid-insoluble ash (25.2% DM), and its OMD was 36.1%. Grasses had OMD values around 66%. Degradability measurements were performed with buffaloes using the nylon bag technique. The organic matter (OM) disappearance data were fitted to an model which was used to describe degradation pattern. The mean potentially degradable fraction for US, SS and TS was 61.5, 61.9 and 69.4%, respectively. Urea-ammonia treatment increased both the amount of OM degraded and the rate at which it was degraded in the rumen. Both grasses had similar values for degradable fraction (around 65%) and for rate constant for degradation (0.04). Rice bran contained high proportions of readily soluble material (23.9%), but the degradable OM fraction was only 13.2%. The low quality of rice bran is attributed to the contamination of rice hulls during processing.