EFFECT OF WASHING AND PHYSICAL FORM OF CHEMICALLY TREATED BARLEY STRAW ON NUTRITIVE VALUE, PHENOLIC COMPOUND AND ACTIVITY OF RUMEN BACTERIA 1-Sodium hydroxide treatment

Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to study the effect of washing chopped and ground treated barley straw with sodium hydroxide (4 % on dry matter basis) on its chemical composition, invitro digestibility, phenolic compound concentration and number of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, by using 2x2x2 factorial arrangement for treatments. The results showed, a significant increase in cellulose, organic matter(OM) digestibility, pH and phenolic compound concentration and reduced OM, acid detergent fiber (ADF), hemicellulose and lignin content of treated straw as compared with untreated. Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and OM were significantly increased in treated straw as compared with untreated. Rumen liquor of invitro experiment showed a significant increase in anaerobic bacteria and ammonia N and a significant decrease in phenolic compound concentration, pH and ADF in washed treated straw as compared with untreated. The results showed improvement in nutritive value for treated straw and increase in total phenolics which extracted with water directly after treated; the recommendation was to study quality and quantity of phenolics in treated and untreated barley straw and its relation with digestible coefficient.