Citation

Toyokawa, K., Takayasu, I., and K. Tsubomatsu, Studies on the utilization of rice straw. V. On the ensiling of soaked rice straw together with wasted apples with special regard to appetite promoting effects for wethers. Bulleting of the Faculty of Agriculture of Hirosaki University 23: 66-73, 1974.

Abstract

The main defect of rice straw used as a feeding stuff is an insufficient intake for the nutritional demand of livestock. A series of experiments was carried out to improve palatability of rice straw be ensiling it. The series consists of the following three experimental sections: 1) the establishment of a pertinent procedure for the ensiling of soaked rice straw, 2) the estimation of the quality of silages made of soaked rice straw with the apples wasted as windfall or surplus fruits and 3) the comparison among these ensiling methods in regard to the increase of intake by wethers.

1. A good silage was made of the rice straw which had been soaked in water for ten minutes, and had subsequently been dript for three hours to reduce the water content to 69.3 per cent.

2. Four silage samples were prepared for the comparison of their qualities:

   a. soaked rice straw silage without apples as a control.

   b. 20 parts of apples were added to 100 of soaked rice straw.

   c. 30 parts of apples, to 100 of soaked rice straw.

   d. 50 parts of apples, to 100 of soaked rice straw. The quality of soaked rice straw silage was improved by adding apples. The contents of lactic acid of final products were 0.30, 0.44, 0.47 and 0.54 per cent for the above mentioned a, b, c and d, respectively. The acetic acid contents were 0.07, 0.14, 0.18 and 0.22 per cent, respectively. The pH value of the silage without apples was 4.21, which was larger than those (3.85-3.97) of silages with apples.

3. The silage of soaked rice straw with apple (30 of apples to 100 of rice straw) were compared with rice straw itself concerning their intake by wethers. The dry matter intake of the silage of soaked rice straw and the silage of unsoaked rice straw plus apples were 170 and 200 per cent of rice straw itself, respectively. These values in the cases of two silages were significantly higher than that in the case of rice straw itself (p<0.05). however, as for the intake of the rice straw by itself, the two silages did not show any marked difference. but, the range of variation of intake with individual wethers, for the silage of soaked rice straw with apples was about 60 per cent of that for the soaked rice straw, and the effect of adding apples to rice straw on the improvement of the increase of intake was achieved in this direction.

country, state, district, etc.

Japan

Language

Japanese (English summary and title)

Material

rice straw

Use category

animal feed