Sixteen rams (mean age: 13 mo; mean live weight: 40.0 ± 2.4 kg) were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design (4 rams per treatment). Diets (dry matter basis) contained 65% concentrate and 35% alfalfa hay (control diet, T1), 35% wheat straw (T2), 35% barley straw (T3) or 35% maize straw (T4). Total-tract apparent digestibility for dry matter, organic matter...

A solid state fermentation method was used to utilize wheat straw as substrates for citric acid production by using Aspergillus niger ATCC 9142. The Plackett Burman design (PBD) of experiments was used to test the relative importance of the variables affecting production such as moisture content, age of spore, inoculum size, initial pH of substrate, methanol conce...

the objective of this research was to study the drying characteristics of powderedagricultural residues. drying experiments of wheat straw (triticum aestivum) wereconducted at four temperatures of 50, 60, 70, and 80°c by a thermogravimetric analyzer.drying temperature had a significant effect on the moisture change and drying time.there was no constant drying rate period, but a short rising rat...

To determine the effects of straw incorporation on soil nutrients, enzyme activity, and aggregates in tobacco fields, we conducted experiments with different amounts of wheat and maize straw in Zhucheng area of southeast Shandong province for three years (2010–2012). In the final year of experiment (2012), straw incorporation increased soil organic carbon (SOC) and related parameters, and impro...

Soil management practices, such as tillage method or straw return, could alter soil organic carbon (C) contents. However, the effects of tillage method or straw return on soil organic C (SOC) have showed inconsistent results in different soil/climate/cropping systems. The Yangtze River Delta of China is the main production region of rice and wheat, and rice-wheat rotation is the most important ...

Granite fines, sand, rice hulls, long wheat straw, and wood shavings were compared as bedding for 60 female dairy calves. Growth, health, stress indices, and behavior of newly born calves, along with physical characteristics and bacterial counts of bedding, were evaluated for 42 d during August to October, 2002. Overall average daily gain and dry matter intake of calves did not differ due to be...

Fructification and yield of the edible mushrooms Pleurotus pulmonarius and Stropharia rugosoannulata are clearly enhanced when wheat straw is supplemented with 30% Lolium perenne grass chaff. The bioactive compound in the methanol extract of grass chaff was identified as beta-adenosine. In vitro biological activity tests showed that 0.012 mg of beta-adenosine per ml of medium stimulated earlier...

A field experiment with six treatments was conducted to study the nitrogen reserves in summer maize topsoil on the north China plain. Results showed that topdressing significantly increased topsoil nitrogen reserves. Summer corn topsoil nitrogen reserves were affected by several management measures. Shallow tillage, wheat straw no-returning and deep intertillage at the corn seedling stage signi...

Cultivation of Pleurotus ostreatus on different substrates such as rice straw, rice straw + wheat straw, rice straw+ paper, sugarcane bagasse and sawdust of alder was investigated. All the substrates except rice straw were supplemented with 10% rice bran. The substrate without supplement was considered as control. The effects of various substrates on mycelial growth, colonization time, primordi...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding treated wheat straw with urea and whey on fattening lambs performance. About 4.5 kg urea and 1.5 kg salt were dissolved in 40 L water and mixed with 30 L of whey. The solution was spread over 100 kg chopped wheat straw. Thirty two male lambs were randomly divided into four feeding groups to compare performance with diets based on barley...