Factors affecting the nutritive value of wheat for ruminants

Abstract

This work has studied a wide range of factors concerning the nutritive value of wheat for ruminants with emphasis on the availability of starch to the rumen microbes. To aid the reader the findings are presented in this report as three parts each of which represents a distinct area of research.

Part 1, which comprised part of HGCA Project 0069/1/96, studied the effect of wheat variety and crop management on starch availability to rumen microbes whilst Part 2 (also part of HWA Project 0069/1/96) examined the agronomic implications of the findings presented in Part 1 and based on these implications made recommendations for future research. Part 3 (HGCA Project 0071/1/95) went on to study the effect of specific weight on the chemical composition and energy value of wheat. Also as a natural extension of the findings in Part 1, Part 3 also presents the results of a comparison of starch availability to rumen microbes in maize and wheat.

Because of the rather different nature of work presented in Parts 1, 2 and 3, the executive summaries for each Part is presented separately at the beginning. References cited in all three parts are given at the end of the report.