Varietal differences in the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of rice straw

Abstract

SummaryFour varieties of rice straw, MRl, MR71, MR84 and MR27, were separated into the following botanical fractions; inflorescence, stem, leaf blade and leaf sheath. The relative proportion of each fraction in whole straw was estimated and analysed for its chemical composition and in vitro digestibility (IVD). The composition and IVD of whole straw was then calculated. Cluster analysis showed that MRl was distinct from the other varieties. This could be attributed to a high proportion of stem (32·3%), high IVD (36·9%), low insoluble ash (4·0%) and a low silica content (2·7%) in the whole straw. The genetic distance between any two varieties ranged from 5·4 × 10-3 to 47·8 × 10-3 and was largest between MRl and the other varieties. Cluster analysis also showed that within a variety, the chemical composition and IVD of the stem, leaf blade and leaf sheath were similar, suggesting that sampling errors may be reduced if the inflorescence, which comprises 7–13% of the whole straw, is excluded when the material is analysed. Stepwise and canonical discriminant analyses indicated that the important variables to be measured when comparing straw varieties were IVD, crude protein and insoluble ash.