BIODEGRADATION PERIOD ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND IN VITRO FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS OF RICE STRAW WITH 45% PALM OIL SLUDGE IN RUMINANT FEEDING.

ABSTRACT

Rice straw is the main crop residue which farmers usually store and use as ruminant feed in tropical areas especially during the long dry season whereby natural forages are being in constraint. Relative to low nutritive value of rice straw in terms of protein (2 to 5%), fiber and lignin contents (NDF > 50%) and low digestibility (< 60%)), feeding rice straw only does not provide enough nutrients for optimum production requirement. Proximate analysis and in vitro studies were carried out, the use of fungi specifically Pleurotus tuberregium (a white rot fungi) and it enzymes that metabolize lignocelluloses is a potential biological treatment to improve the nutritional value of straw by selective delignification thereby to determine the chemical composition of raw and biodegraded rice straw and palm oil sludge mixture. The gas volume and dry matter digestibility of raw and biodegraded rice straw and palm oil sludge mixture, In vitro and the post in vitro fermentation characteristics of raw and biodegraded rice straw and palm oil mixture,Invitro.

The result showed that the degraded rice straw and POS contained improved nutrient quality as well as reduced cell wall components.