Treated Wheat Straw Research Articles

Effects of fungal treated wheat straw on Feed intake and growth of fattening lambs

White- rot fungi have been investigated for biological upgradation of cereal straws into livestock Feed by solid substrate fermentation (Tripathi et al. 1991). Studies showed that pleurotus sajor- cajo(PSC) grew well on wheat straw and improved nutritive value (Leng 1990), due to the presence of wide spectrum of extracellular hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes and high infiltration of the mycelium into the substrate (Kokhreidze et al,1993).The objective of this study was to examine the effect of treated wheat straw by PSC edible fungi on feed intake and daily gain of fattening male lambs.

Effect of Fungal Treated Wheat Straw on the Diet of Lactating Cows

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of diets that contained different levels of fungal treated wheat straw on the intake, digestibility and performance of lactating cows. Eight primiparous Holstein cows, in late lactation ranging from 170±10 days in milk and yielding 14.3±1.3 kg/d of fat corrected milk (FCM) were allocated into four diets with 0, 10, 20 and 30% fungal (Pleurotus ostreatus coded P-41) treated wheat straw in a 4×4 Latin Square experiment. The daily intake of DM, OM, DOM, CP and TDN were not affected by substitution of alfalfa hay with fungal treated wheat straw. Inclusion of the treated straw at different levels in the diet did not affect the digestibility of nutrients, except for the ADF that was significantly (p 0.05) different among the diets. All cows gained weight, but the inclusion of treated straw to the diet significantly (p<0.05) increased the body weight gain and the highest amount was obtained in the diet containing 20% treated. Inclusion of fungal treated wheat straw up to 30% of the diet of lactating cows supplemented with a protein source such as cottonseed meal had not affected the nutrients intake and lactation performance. (Asian- Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2002. Vol 15, No. 11 : 1573-1578)

Growth and Nutrient Utilization in Buffalo Calves Fed Urea-ammoniated Wheat Straw and Hydrochloric Acid plus Urea Treated Wheat Straw

Ten growing male buffalo calves (aged 6-8 months, average body weight 88.2±0.57 kg were divided randomly into two groups. Animals in group I were fed on concentrate mixture A (CP 20.2%, TDN 77.4%) and urea- ammoniated wheat straw (UAWS) while the animals in group II were fed on concentrate mixture B (CP 17.9%, TDN 77.6%) and HCl plus urea treated wheat straw (HCl UAWS) to meet their nutrient requirement for 500 g gain/d as per Kearl (1982). This feeding practice lasted for 120 days, during which fortnightly body weight were recorded to assess their growth rate. A metabolism trial was conducted after 90 days of experimental feeding to compare the digestibility of nutrients, their balance, plane of nutrition and relative cost of feeding in two groups of animals. Results revealed a significant increase in the CP content of ammoniated wheat straw due to addition of HCl viz 12.1% from 7.5%. There was a decrease in the intake of DM (p<0.05), OM (p<0.05), EE (p<0.05), NDF (p<0.01), ADF (p<0.01), cellulose (p<0.01) and hemicellulose (p<0.01) in group II as compared to group I. The digestibility (%) of DM, OM and CP was significantly (p<0.01) more in group II, whereas the digestibility (%) was significantly more for NDF (p<0.05) and hemicellulose (p<0.01) in group I than group II. There was no significant difference in the N, Ca and P balance in two groups. Intake of total DM (g/d) or (g/kg W 0.75 ) was significantly (p<0.01) more in group I as compared to group II, whereas the intake of DCP and TDN (g/d or g/kg W 0.75 ) was alike in two groups. The total body weight gain (kg), average daily gain (g/d) and feed conversion efficiency were significantly (p<0.01) more in UAWS fed group as compared to HCl UAWS fed group. Feeding cost (Rs./kg. weight gain) was significantly (p<0.05) more in group II as compared to group I. It is concluded that HCl UAWS is not suitable for the feeding of growing buffalo calves as it reduced the growth rate in comparison to UAWS fed buffalo calves. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2002. Vol 15, No. 5 : 682-686)

Efecto de la paja de trigo tratada con alcali sobre el consumo de alimento y comportamiento ingestivo de vacas lecheras

With the purpose of determining the effects of feeding increasing levels of alkali treated wheat straw on feed intake and ingestive behaviour, twelve Holstei...

Effect of Feeding Urea and Acetic Acid Treated Wheat Straw on the Digestibility of Nutrients in Adult Male Murrah Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

Effect of Feeding Urea and Acetic Acid Treated Wheat Straw on the Digestibility of Nutrients in Adult Male Murrah Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis)

Compositional changes of wheat lignin by a fungal peroxidase analyzed by pyrolysis-GC-MS

Wheat-straw treatment with a Mn 2+-oxidizing peroxidase from the ligninolytic fungus Pleurotus eryngii was investigated using pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). Changes in the ratio between p-hydroxyphenyl ( H), guaiacyl ( G) and syringyl ( S) lignin units were found, consistent with a degradation of S units and increase of the H content after enzymatic treatment. However, the most noticeable modification was the significant decrease of lignin phenolic content as revealed by Py-GC-MS of methylated straw. It was shown that 10 U of peroxidase per mg of straw decreased the amount of phenolic H units from 31% in the control to 3% in the treated straw, that of G units from 40 to 4%, and completely removed the small amount of phenolic S units present in wheat straw. The same tendency to decrease lignin phenolic content was observed when lower enzyme doses were used. These results provide conclusive evidence for modification of lignin during in vitro treatment of a natural lignocellulosic substrate with a ligninolytic peroxidase.

Comparison of bovine rumen liquor and bovine faeces as inoculum for an in vitro gas production technique for evaluating forages

Two experiments were undertaken using the in vitro gas production technique of Theodorou et al. [Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 48 (1994) 185] to compare rumen liquor (RL) and faeces (FA) as inocula for fermenting gramminaceous forages over 96h periods. Experiment 1 used 12 forages of differing in vivo digestibility (ammonia treated wheat straw, field-cured hay (Lolium perenne) and 10 artificially dried grasses (L. perenne) harvested at different maturities). Experiment 2 used seven maize-silage based forages (whole plant, stover, leaf, lower stem, middle stem, upper stem and husk). In both experiments, rumen liquor and faeces were obtained from two cows in early lactation, each fed daily with 9.4kg DM of grass silage and 9.0kg DM of concentrate. Rumen contents were sampled through the fistula, before morning feeding; faeces were sampled from the rectum, immediately afterwards. Rumen liquor (250ml) was prepared by straining contents through two layers of muslin, adding the solids after blending with 250ml of buffer and re-straining. Faeces were prepared by mixing (300ml) with 150ml of buffer and straining through two layers of muslin and adding a homogenate of the solids and 150ml of buffer after straining. Data were fitted to the model of France et al. [J. Theor. Biol. 163 (1993) 99]. All model parameters showed FA to have a poorer fermentation capacity than RL. In both experiments, potential gas production volumes (A) were lower (on average 52.9ml (18.5%)) and lag times longer (on average 2.9h) for FA compared to RL. Fractional rate of fermentation at half asymptote (T/2) was generally greater for RL than FA (overall means, 0.042, 0.028) and the time required to T/2 being less (overall means, 21.9, 35.4h). However, potential gas production (A) was highly correlated between RL and FA: Experiment 1 (r2=0.94, 11 forages, excluding ammonia treated straw) and Experiment 2 (r2=0.83, six forages, excluding middle stem). In Experiment 1, organic matter digestibility in vivo (OMDIV) was also highly correlated with both OMDFA (r2=0.77, 11 forages) and OMDRL (r2=0.89, 11 forages); OMDRL and OMDFA were also highly correlated (r2=0.81). Similar correlations occurred in Experiment 2. It is concluded that faeces have potential as an alternative inoculum to rumen liquor for in vitro gas production techniques, but methods of overcoming the longer lag phase with faeces require further research.

Lactational performance and body weight change in cows fed the fungal treated wheat straw

In Iran, the availability of high quality forages is restricted. The use of wheat straw, which is accessible in a huge amount, is limited due to its low nutritional value. Recently, biological method using white-rot fungi to improve the nutritional value of straw have been reported (Zadrazil 1997). However, the data available have been obtained from in vitro works. Additionally, little information is available on the utilization of fungal treated straw fed to dairy cow. Therefore, this experiment was carried out to assess the effect of fungal treated wheat straw on the performance of lactating cows.

In vitro study of the rumen and hindgut fermentation of fibrous materials (meadow hay, beech sawdust, wheat straw) in sheep

The influence of both rumen and hindgut inocula of sheep on fermentation of fibrous materials in vitro has been investigated. Different fibrous materials (meadow hay, beech sawdust, wheat straw) and cellulose were used as substrates. The study was carried out to compare: (1) fermentation of substrates with rumen and hindgut inocula, (2) fermentation of meadow hay (reference substrate) and other substrates, (3) fermentation of the two types of cellulose (amorphous and crystalline), and (4) fermentation of treated fibrous materials (treated beech sawdust by defibration and impregnation and fungal treated wheat straw) and untreated fibrous materials. Hindgut fermentation of fibrous materials was associated with decreased dry matter and neutral detergent fibre degradabilities, and also methane and total gas production. The calculated hydrogen recoveries with hindgut inoculum showed a tendency to lower values as compared to the rumen inoculum. Significant differences were found between meadow hay and other fibrous materials, between both celluloses and between treated and untreated fibrous materials. The positive correlation between hydrogen recoveries and methane production of untreated wheat straw with a hindgut inoculum suggested the presence of reductive acetogenesis with the hindgut inoculum. It can be concluded that reductive acetogenesis with a hindgut inoculum instead of methanogenesis may increase the energetic yield from VFA per substrate, and to some extent also the energetic yield for the host animal.

Nitrogen cycling associated with the decomposition of sunflower stalks and wheat straw in a Vertisol.

The C mineralization and N transformations during the decomposition of sunflower stalks (Helianthus annuus L.) and wheat straw (Triticum aestivum L.) with and without addition of (NH4)2SO4 (27.53 atom% 15N) were studied in a Vertisol. Soil samples were incubated under aerobic conditions for 224 days at 22 °C. The plant residues were added at a rate of 5.2 g kg-1 soil. Nitrogen was applied at a rate of 50.7 mg N kg-1 soil. Carbon dioxide emission and inorganic N content in soil were periodically determined. Gross N immobilization and remineralization were calculated on the basis of the isotopic dilution technique. At the end of the incubation period a 15N balance was established. Respectively, 68 and 45% of the applied residue-C mineralized from the sunflower stalks and wheat straw after 224 days. Both crop residues caused losses of up to 25% of added 15N after 224 days of incubation. These 15N losses were about three times larger than in the control soil, and were probably due to denitrification. The net immobilization of soil derived N following residue incorporation was largest in the case of wheat straw, depleting all soil inorganic N. In the wheat straw treatment with added (NH4)2SO4 soil inorganic N remained available, resulting in an enhanced initial C mineralization and N immobilization compared to the treatment without added N. In the case of the sunflower stalks, the high inorganic N content of the stalks suppressed the effects of N addition on C mineralization and N immobilization/mineralization. Gross N immobilization amounted to 31.9 and 28.2 mg N g-1 added C after 14 days for wheat straw and sunflower stalks, respectively. At the end of the incubation, about 35% of the newly immobilized N was remineralized in both plant residue treatments. Gross N immobilization plotted against decomposed C suggests that fairly uniform C-N relationships exist during the decomposition of divers C substrates. The results demonstrate that low fertilizer N use efficiencies may be expected in a wheat-sunflower cropping system with incorporation of crop residues, as the fertilizer N applied becomes largely immobilized in the soil organic fraction.

Tracing the nitrogen, sulfur, and carbon released from plant residues in a soil/plant system

Matching plant residue mineralisation rate to plant nutrient demand is one way of increasing the efficiency of nutrient cycling. A glasshouse experiment was conducted in a Soloth soil with a C4d13 C signature using drained pots to examine the effect on the yield of Japanese millet (Echinochloa frumentocea) and the fate of 15 N, 35 S, and C (using d 13 C shift) from the C 3 plants Flemingia macrophylla, Medicago truncatula hay, and wheat (Triticum aestivum) straw applied at 3 t/ha in the presence of N and NPKS fertiliser. The yield of Japanese millet at 91 days was highest where medic hay had been added (13.7 g/pot) and lowest where wheat straw was used (11.5 g/pot). Recovery of 35 S by the millet was highest in the wheat straw and medic hay treatments (mean 11.5%), whilst recovery of 15 N was highest from medic hay (15.8%). Leaching losses of 35 S were highest in the Flemingia and medic treatments (mean 8.1%), and 15 N loss in leachate was highest in the medic hay treatment (6.6%). A maximum of 1.5% of the C added in residues was recovered in the leachate of the medic hay treatment.

Enzymatic Saccharification of Pretreated Wheat Straw by T. Reesei Cellulases and A. Niger β-Glucosidase

Three methods of wheat straw treatment (with NaOH, H2O2 and butylamine) and its subsequent saccharification by Trichoderma reesei cellulases and Aspergillus niger β-glucosidase are reported. The treatment of straw with NaOH for 1 h in the autoclave (120°C) caused a great loss of the hemicellulose content and a partial removal of lignin, provoking an increase of the cellulose content (from 24% to 69%) in the residue. When the straw was pre-treated with H2O2 at 25°C for 20 h, the relative content of cellulose in the straw increased (from 24% to 52%) due to the solubilisation of hemicellulose.The effect of varying the hydrolysis parameters (enzyme and substrate concentration, temperature and pH) was studied in order to maximise the yield of sugars. Under the best conditions and after 48 h with a mixture of 2:1 (w/w) cellulase/β-glucosidase (with a concentration of 7 and 0.1 U ml-1, respectively) the native, NaOH-treated and H2O2-treated straw material were degraded to reducing sugars for 28%, 89% and 97% respectively.

Comparative study of hemicelluloses from wheat straw by alkali and hydrogen peroxide extractions

As compared to traditional alkaline extractions, alkaline peroxide was used to isolate hemicelluloses from wheat straw. Yields of the solubilized hemicelluloses ranged from 18.9% (2% H2O2 extraction at 90°C for 2 h at pH 11.5) to 26.6% (2% H2O2 extraction at 50°C for 16 h at pH 12.5). The optimum hemicellulose yield (92% of the original hemicelluloses in water treated wheat straw) was obtained when the treatment was performed at 50°C for 16 h at pH 12.5 by use of 2% H2O2. All the hemicellulosic preparations were much lighter in color than those obtained using traditional alkaline extractions in the absence of bleaching. The results, obtained by the destructive method such as acid hydrolysis, showed that extraction of wheat straw with aqueous 10% KOH following alkaline bleaching released the hemicellulosic fractions, which were enriched in xylose, whereas extraction of the straw with aqueous 2% H2O2 under alkaline conditions (pH 11.5–12.5) solubilized the hemicellulosic fractions, which were relatively higher in arabinose and glucose. The nine isolated hemicellulosic samples were further characterized by non-destructive methods such as Fourier transform infrared (FT–IR), and carbon-13 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C-NMR) as well as gel permeation chromatography (GPC). It has been demonstrated that the alkaline peroxide treatments under the conditions used do not affect the overall structure of hemicelluloses. The only one major change of the hemicelluloses was found to be degradation during the beaching of alkali-soluble hemicelluloses with 2% H2O2 at 60°C for a period of 16 h at pH 11.5 or bleaching using a relatively higher concentration (5%) of hydrogen peroxide at 60°C for 8 h at pH 11.5.

Energy balance and methane production in sheep fed chemically treated wheat straw

Ram lambs of the Muzaffarnagari breed weighing 42 kg were randomly assigned to three groups of five animals. These animals were used to study the effect of chemically treated wheat straw on methane production and energy balance. Wheat straw was treated either with urea (4 kg urea per 100 kg DM) with a storage time of 21 days (treatment I; control) or with urea (1.5 kg per 100 kg DM) without storage time (treatment II) or with urea plus calcium hydroxide (3 kg urea plus 3 kg calcium hydroxide per 100 kg DM) with a storage time of 21 days (treatment III). All straws were fed ad libitum. The crude protein content of wheat straw during feeding was 7.8%, 7.9% and 7.6% in treatments I–III, respectively. Corresponding dry matter (DM) intake was 43.7, 34.9 and 49.5 g kg −1 W 0.75, respectively which was significantly higher in treatment III than that of treatment II. The DM digestibility in treatments I (54.2%) and III (50.9%) was higher than that of treatment II (42.7%). The digestible energy (DE) intake that was measured in kJ kg −1 W 0.75 d −1 was higher in treatments I (412) and III (471) than that of treatment II (282). Similar trend was observed in metabolizable energy (ME) intake. Methane production per kg digested organic matter (OM) per d was lower in treatments I (301) and III (291) than that of treatment II (461). The energy balance was measured in kJ kg −1 W 0.75 d −1 in treatments I–III, respectively. The energy balance in treatments I (113) and III (170) was higher than that of treatment II (−40). It is concluded that treatment of straw with urea and/or a mixture of urea with calcium hydroxide followed by storage can improve digestibility compared to spraying with urea solution prior to feeding and also reduce methane production per kg digested OM and increase energy balance.

Effect of Wheat Straw Treated with Alkali on Ruminal Function and Lactational Performance of Dairy Cows

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of wheat straw treated with alkali on ruminal function and lactational performance of dairy cows. In Experiment 1, four ruminally fistulated Holsteins cows (X¯ = 57 d of lactation) were fed four diets that contained 0, 20, 30, or 40% (dry basis) wheat straw treated with 3% NaOH plus 3% Ca(OH)2 in a 4 × 4 Latin square. The diets contained 60, 40, 30, and 20% (dry basis) prebloom alfalfa haylage to result in a 60: 40 ratio of forage to concentrate. In Experiment 2, 12 (X¯ = 149 d of lactation) midlactation Holstein cows were fed diets containing 0 or 20% treated wheat straw to measure lactational performance during a 12-wk period. In Experiment 1, no effect of diet was observed on ruminal pH, osmolality, digestion of neutral detergent fiber of straw, or 4% fat-corrected milk. However, the dry matter intake of cows fed diets containing the two highest concentrations of treated straw was depressed and was associated with a significant body weight loss. The ruminal rate of passage of treated straw was not affected by diet; however, rate of passage of alfalfa haylage decreased when straw was included in the diet. In Experiment 2, no effect on cow performance was observed when straw treated with alkali was included at 20% of the diet. Inclusion of up to 20% wheat straw treated with 3% NaOH plus 3% Ca(OH)2 in diets of lactating cows resulted in ruminal function and performance that were similar to those of cows fed diets that contained alfalfa haylage only.

Fractional characterization of alkali-labile lignin and alkali-insoluble lignin from wheat straw

Wheat straw was treated with sodium hydroxide at different temperatures (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 °C) and various concentrations (0.5, 1.5, 3.0, 5.0, 10.0%) for 6 h, respectively. Soluble lignins and free-phenolic monomers in each of the alkaline treatment hydrolysates were isolated. The tightly bound phenolic acids and aldehydes were determined by nitrobenzene oxidation of alkali-insoluble lignin in the treated straw residues. The predominant components of alkali-labile free-phenolic monomers were found to be ferulic and p-coumaric acids, which together comprised about 80% of the total. Ferulic acid was released faster than p-coumaric acid, while p-coumaric acid appeared to be more effect on dissolution of lignin than ferulic acid during the alkaline treatments. About 90% of p-coumaric acid in wheat straw was present in the ester-linked form to lignin, while more than 60% of ferulic acid was ether-linked to lignin. The results of alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation showed that a slightly high guaiacyl content in the original wheat straw and relatively high syringyl content in alkali treated wheat straw.

Effect of fertilizer and organic matter inputs on nitrifier populations and N-mineralization rates in a dry tropical region, India

The study was conducted in a dryland farm, which was under Oryza sativa (rainy season)/ Lens esculenta (winter seasons) crop rotation, to assess the size of viable community of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and N-mineralization, as affected by season and inputs of chemical fertilizer and organic matter. Six treatments with three replicates were established in completely randomized block design. The treatments were: control, chemical fertilizer, wheat straw (WS), WS + fertilizer, farmyard manure (FYM) and FYM + fertilizer. The effects of treatments and seasons on NH 4 +N, NO 3 −N and PO 4 −P pools were significant, but treatment × season interaction was not significant. The mineral N pools had a dry season maximum, while N-mineralization and nitrification rates were highest during rainy season and lowest during summer season. Differences in N-mineralization and nitrification rates due to treatments were significant. The N-mineralization rates were greatest in fertilizer and fertilizer + WS (or FYM) treatments and the nitrification rate was highest in the fertilizer treated soil. Analysis of pooled data of all treatments showed that N-mineralization rate was positively related with soil moisture and inversely with the size of mineral N pools. The numbers of viable cells of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria were related significantly to each other, and were highest during the rainy season and lowest in the summer season. The effect of treatments, except for the fertilizer-alone treatment, on the most probable number counts of the nitrifying bacteria was not statistically significant.

Evaluation of straw treatment with ammonia sources on growing bulls

Energetical and ecological aspects of straw ammoniation were calculated based on five feeding trials with growing bulls consuming untreated, ammonia or urea treated wheat straw. Dry straw was gased with ammonia (3.0–3.2%) and wet straw (38.1–56.3% dry matter, DM) was treated with urea (2.5–5% on DM base). In digestibility experiments with sheep and feeding trials with 104 growing bulls fed treated and untreated straw was compared. Bulls consumed 2 kg concentrate per day and untreated or treated straw ad libitum. In two experiments ammonia or urea treated straw was given in adequate amounts to untreated straw (pair feeding). Based on the results of feeding trials energetic input (60 or 80 MJ per kg N from ammonia or urea) and ecological output (NH 3, CO 2) were calculated. Ammoniation increased apparent digestibility of organic matter of wheat straw from 43.9 to 52.7%, urea treatment enhanced it from 46.5 to 53.0% on average. Pair feeding of ammonia or urea treated wheat straw resulted in an increase of daily liveweight gain amounting 69 and 55 g day −1. Ad libitum intake of treated straw increased daily weight gain with range of 75 to 290 g. Animal growth rate was used to evaluate the different straw treatments with regard to the ammonia sources. Between 0.8 and 7.0 kg body weight were produced per kg N added to the straw due to higher digestibility and increased straw intake. Assuming a conversion rate of 5 kg grains for 1 kg beef, one kg N used as fertilizer has at least to increase the yield of cereals in the range of 3.8 and 35 kg, otherwise the N-utilization on the field would be less efficient. Low animal response to ammoniation of straw resulted in high fossil energy needs per animal and high environmental pollution. More dose-response trials are necessary to allow a better evaluation of N-efficiency in straw treatment.

On farm demonstration of various storage methods for urea treated wheat straw

On farm demonstration of various storage methods for urea treated wheat straw

Upgrading wheat straw with urea at a tropical temperature: effects of amount of urea and moisture on in vitro digestibility and pH

Urea-ammonia treatment of straws in the tropics involves mixing 1.0 kg of air dry straw with 1.0 kg of a 40 g/kg urea solution and storing under plastic for at least 4 weeks (Schiere and Ibrahim, 1989). The economics of treatment is dependent on the cost of urea. Treatment cost would reduce, if on-farm-produced urine, e.g. cow urine, could be used as a source of urea. However cow urine is dilute and may contain only 10 g/kg urea or less (Owen, 1993). The present study therefore investigated varying concentrations of urea solution for treating wheat straw at a tropical temperature.