Improving the Nutritive Value of Cereal and Pulse Straws Using Dung Ash and Wood Ash Treatments

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of treatment of straws with cow dung ash treatment and wood ash on their nutritive value. Accordingly, straws of barley, wheat, chickpea, faba bean and lentil were treated with dung ash at levels of 0, 100, 200 or 300 g dung ash/L) and wood ash at levels of 0, 100, 150 or 200 wood ash/L. All straw samples were evaluated for proximate analysis and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) using a combination of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and conventional laboratory analyses. The effects of straw origin, the level of treatment and their interactions on the nutritive value of straw was analyzed for each treatment separately using general linear model procedure. The effect of dung and wood ash treatment depended on the origin of straw (P<0.001). Soaking straw in plain water did not alter IVOMD regardless of the origin. Dung ash treatment at the level of 300 g ash/L improved significantly IVOMD of barley straw. Ash treatment at of 200 and 300 g/L levels significantly (P<0.001) decreased the IVOMD of faba bean straw. Soaking straws of chickpea and faba bean in wood ash solutions decreased IVOMD significantly. Treating lentil straw by a solution containing 200g wood ash/L decreased significantly IVOMD. Wood ash treatment did not alter IVOMD of straws of barley and wheat. The study indicates that dung ash treatment at a level up to 300 g/L and wood ash treatment at a level up to 200 g/L failed in improving the nutritive value of straws of barley, wheat, chickpea, faba bean and lentil.