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The effect of nitrogen source on the in vitro cellulose digestion of chemically treated oat straw and poplar wood
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 March 2009
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The gross energy of forages can be classified into three fractions, namely the unavailable fraction, the digestible energy fraction and the potentially digestible energy (PDE) fraction. The PDE fraction can only be made available by appropriate treatment and supplementation (Pigden & Heaney, 1969). In young forages the PDE fraction is relatively insignificant, but as the plant matures, the PDE fraction increases very rapidly. By treating matured forages with delignifying agents, increased nutrient digestibilities have been demonstrated Chandra & Jackson, 1971; Wilson & Pigden, 1964), but no significant improvement on the voluntary intake was achieved unless the treated material was supplemented with a source of nitrogen (Donefer, Adeleye & Jones, 1969). While Zafren (1960) used ammonium hydroxide (NH40H) as the treatment alkali, with the claim that the ammonium acetate resulting from the neutralization of the excess alkali could serve as an extra source of nitrogen in the treated straw, other investigators (Donefer et al. 1969) have adopted the method of supplementing the treated straw with a source of nitrogen. Since the efficiency with which dietary nitrogen is converted to microbial nitrogen in the rumen has a considerable influence on the efficiency the animal as a whole, studies herein reported were carried out to test the effectiveness with which rumen micro-organisms utilize different nitrogen sources in degrading cellulose in vitro.
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