Study On Nutritive Value Of Maize Stalk Treated By Three Different Processing Techniques

The nutritive value of maize stalk was studied in this paper. Crumble feed of maize stalks early harvested (CMEC), cylinder feed of maize stalks (CM) and cube feed of maize stalks without bark (CMOB) were used in this study.CMOB contains the highest CF, NNE and hemicellulose, but it contains the lowest cellulose and lignose among the three products. Compared CMEC with CM, it was found that the CF and hemicellulose content in maize stalk were descending along with the retard of reaping time, but cellulose and lignose were ascending. The results showed that late reaping had no benefit to using maize stalks, and the content of digestible nutrients can be improved by flaying the bark of maize stalk.The ingredients of Culture fluid used in In vitro experiment were dilute and Rumen liquor which was sucked from Caoyuanhong cattle. A group of maize stalk bark was added to in vitro experiment. Sampls were taken out at 3h, 6h, 9h, 12h, 24h, 48h and 72h,respectively; pH value and diminution rate of DM were gauged. The results of in vitro experiment showed that the culture fluid of COMB had the lowest pH value in the whole culturing, and the pH value of CMOB group maintained the most benefit pH value (6.6-6.8) to diminution of cellulose when maize stalk digested during 12h to 24h of culturing. The diminution rate of DM at 72h was 65%, and the other tow were 56% and 57%, respectively. CMEC, CM and maize stalk bark had the similar pH value before 48h. This result showed that the existence of maize stalk bark had important influence on pH value of culture fluid. We could draw a conclusion from the results of the in vitro experiment that the cellulose in CMOB can be best used by rumen microbes among the three products. The diminution rate of DM of CMEC during 12h and 48h of culturing was better than CM, so the nutritive value of CMEC was better than that of CM.In 3x3 Latin square design, six Xiaoweihan Sheep were randomly divided into 3 groups to compare the digestibility of nutrient matters in 3 products. The results showed that the difference of cellulose digestibility was conspicuous between the diet containing CMEC and the diet containing CM (P<0.05). But the difference was not significant between dietsof containing CMEC and the diet containing CMOB (P>0.05). The digestibility of hemicellulose in the diet containing CMOB was highest among the three products. The difference between CMOB and CM was significant (P<0.05), but the difference between CMOB and CMEC was not significant (P>0.05).It was concluded that the content of cellulose decreased after maize stalk had been peeled off the bark, and the feed value of maize stalk can be improved. But the results of digestion trial showed that the effect of reaping time was important on content and use of nutrients. It is the best mode of using maize stalks that reap maize stalk as early as possible and peel off the bark and then make it into cube feed.