Abstract 476

Rao,-AS; Sundareshan,-K; Prabhu,-UH; Sampath,-SR

Southern Regional Station, National Dairy Research Inst., Bangalore, Karnataka 560 030, India.

Indian-Journal-of-Animal-Sciences. 1984, 54: 11, 1064-1065; 5 ref.

Spent citronella grass, Cymbopogon nardus, (SCG) after oil extraction contained, with digestibility in parentheses, crude protein 5.4 (21), ether extract 2.3, crude fibre 34.2 (73) and nitrogen-free extract 47.3 (62)%. Corresponding values for cottonseed hulls (CH) were 3.1 (0), 0.4, 41.1 (21) and 46.0 (60). When 4 bullocks were given for 30 days 1 kg concentrate daily and SCG to appetite daily DM intake of SCG was 4.7-6.0 kg or 0.92-1.62, average 1.2 kg/100 kg bodyweight. Daily balances were nitrogen -0.2, calcium 0.4 and phosphorus 1.3 g. The SCG had digestible crude protein 1.2 and total digestible nutrients 58.3% compared with 0 and 38.9% for CH given as sole feed to 5 bullocks for 2 weeks. N, Ca and P balances for the latter were -17, -6 and -4 g and average DM intake 5.43 kg. It was concluded that SCG can be used as a source of roughage.