Estimates of wheat straw availability and variation in straw quality Misra A. K.1,*, Singh K. K.1, Khan T. A.2, Das M. M.1, Pailan G. H.3 Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh-284003, India 1Indian Grassland and Fodder Research institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh-284003, India 2Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, India 3Central institute of Fisheries Education, Salt lake, Kolkata, India *Corresponding author e-mail: asimkmisra@gmail.com
Online published on 14 August, 2013. Abstract A study was conducted to determine the straw grain ratios (S/G ratio) and straw quality of wheat cultivars to develop wheat straw availability estimates at national and state levels. The sampling locations were the farmer's field spread over 8 major wheat producing Indian states viz., Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. These states together contribute more than 85 percent of total wheat production in India. A significant variation (P<0.001) in straw to grain ratios was observed among wheat cultivars grown in different states. Variability (P<0.001) within the cultivar was also observed when it was grown under different agro climatic regions and agronomical practices. At present (year 2010–11) 112 million tonnes of wheat straw is expected to be available in the country and in next 10 years (year 2020) this quantity will increase up to 120 million tonnes, registering a growth of 6 percent. As per the projections, the share of UP in total wheat straw pool will be the highest (33%), followed by Punjab (19%), Haryana (15%), Rajasthan (11%), MP (10%) and Bihar (6%). The straw availability from other wheat producing states is expected to be 6 percent. Similarly significant variations (P<0.01) in all the quality attributes were observed among the wheat cultivars. Among the various chemical constituents, the CP content varied greatly (50.1%) followed by the lignin (42.96%), hemi cellulose (37.12%), ADF (30.39%), cellulose (28.37%) and NDF (21.2%). The dry matter digestibility of straw from different wheat cultivars ranged from 35.0 to 52.3 percent. It was concluded that straw grain ratios are variable and therefore the projection based on area specific ratios will be more realistic for assessing the straw availability in the country. Chemical composition and digestibility of straw varied among the wheat cultivars. Results suggested that the variability in nutritional parameters among varieties need to be exploited by plant breeders, particularly in areas where straw is an important component of ruminant feed. Top Keywords ADF, Animal nutrition, Forage availability, NDF, Lignin, Nutritive value, Straw grain ratio, Straw quality, Wheat straw availability, Wheat varieties. Top |