Abstract 355

Escobar,A; Parra,-O-de; Parra,-R

Instituto de Produccion Animal, Facultad de Agronomia, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Maracay, Venezuela.

Tropical-Animal-Production. 1985, 10: 1, 58-67; 21 ref.

Saccharum officinarum (a) bagasse pith, (b) bagasse, (c) bagasse pith + 25% molasses, (d) bagasse + 40% molasses, (e) sorghum straw, (f) maize cobs, (g) Paspalum fasciculatum aboveground plant parts, (h) Digitaria decumbens hay and (i) Rhynchelytrum roseum were treated with 0, 20, 40, 60 or 80 g NaOH/kg DM for 24 h. In a 2nd experiment maize cobs were milled and treated with 60 g/kg DM of NaOH, NH4OH or Ca(OH)2 alone or in combination. Mean in vitro digestibility of the fibrous agricultural residues was 29.3, 32.8, 38.9, 47.6 and 52.8% with 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 g NaOH/kg. The effect of the alkali differed between residues, however; the highest solubilization value with 80 g NaOH/kg was 29.3 and the lowest 8.8 g/100 g for (a) and (e), resp., and the highest digestion was 63.8 and the lowest 43.1 g/100 g for (e) and (i), resp. Increase in in vitro DOM showed a positive correlation with original cell wall content. In vitro DOM of maize cobs was 52.8, 45.8, 40.5, 48.5, 37.1 and 30.3% when treated with NaOH, NH4OH, Ca(OH)2, NaOH + Ca(OH)2, Ca(OH)2 + NH4OH and untreated, resp.