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Ten cereal straws and stovers from India were treated using the ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX) technique to explore the effectiveness of the AFEX technique for releasing sugars from structural carbohydrates and for the upgrading of cereal crop residues as livestock feed. Recovery of glucose and xylose in AFEX treated material was about three times the recovery in untreated material. AFEX treatment increased recovery of glucose between 60 and 85% and of xylose between 50 and 85% of their theoretical yields. AFEX treatment increased average crude protein (CP) by 260% (CP content: 62 vs 161 g/kg). Cell wall content as estimated by NDF decreased on average by 47 g/kg (NDF: 656 vs 609 g/kg) while cellulose contents estimated as ADF apparently increased by 23 g/kg (ADF: 443 vs 466 g/kg). Lignin contents estimated as ADL did not significantly differ between untreated and treated material. Measured after 24 h of incubation, AFEX treatment consistently and significantly increased in vitro gas production (42.9 vs 33.3 ml/200 mg), in vitro apparent digestibility (493 vs 630 g/kg) and true digestibility (624 vs 755 g/kg) and in vitro metabolizable energy content (6.9 vs 8.6 MJ/kg). Treatment changes in digestibility estimated based on in vitro gas production generally agreed with gravimetric estimates based on undigested residues, making it unlikely that the effect of AFEX treatment on digestibility was overestimated by unrecovered soluble but un-fermentable substrate. Increases in CP content and in vitro digestibilities upon AFEX treatment were unrelated to CP content and in vitro organic matter digestibilities (IVOMD) of untreated base material, though increases in IVOMD upon treatment tended (P = 0.07) to be lower in material with high (>530 g/kg) baseline IVOMD.

Twenty six lines each of two legume crop species: mungbean [Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek] and vegetable soybean [(Glycine max (L.) Merr.)] were evaluated for grain yield and fodder traits during 2013 in Hyderabad, India. Mungbean line, ML 818 was the best for nitrogen content and was also among the better performers for in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). Vegetable soybean line, Swarna Vasundhra registered high values for nitrogen content, haulm yield, pod yield and seed yield, while GC 84501-32-1 recorded high value for nitrogen content. In-vivo parameters such as dry (DMI) and organic matter intake (OMI), dry (DMD) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) and nitrogen (N) balance were determined after feeding sheep with haulms from selected lines of mungbean and vegetable soybean as supplements to a sorghum stover based ration. Vegetable soybean line, Swarna Vasundhra recorded the highest OMD while the mungbean line, VC 6510-151-1 recorded the highest nitrogen balance.

Highlights • A wheat population of 287 diverse spring wheat lines were evaluated in a multilocation trial. • Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were applied to detect significant marker- straw fodder quality trait associations. • Five genomic regions contributed for six traits (ADF, ADL, ASH, IVOMD, ME and NDF). • ADF and ADL mapped in the common QTL region on chromosome 2B. Similarly, for the IVOMD and ME, QTLs were found on chromosome 5B. • Strong genotypic variations of GY and SY do exist. The lack of any similar variations in straw fodder quality traits is intriguing and requires further research., A wheat association mapping population consisting of 287 diverse spring wheat lines were evaluated for three years in one location (Varanasi) and out of these for one year across three locations (Karnal, Dharwad and Varanasi) in India. Straw fodder quality traits analyzed were nitrogen (N) content, neutral (NDF) and acid (ADF) detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin (ADL), ash (ASH), in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) content. Grain yield (GY) and straw yield (SY) were also recorded. Highly significant (P

Sweet sorghum bagasse with leaf residue (SSBLR) based complete diets with high or low protein and high- or low-energy levels were evaluated in a 60-day growth trial using growing sheep. Twenty-eight Deccani ram lambs were divided into four groups (16.0 ± 0.59 kg) of seven each and fed low-protein high-/low-energy and high-protein high-/low-energy diets ad lib. Average daily gain (g; P

Cowpea is an important legume crop in Africa, valued highly for its grain and also haulms, which are a tradable commodity in fodder markets. Fodder market surveys in Northern Nigeria showed that groundnut haulms were priced higher than cowpea haulms, probably because of their superior nutritive value. The economic value of haulms has prompted cowpea breeders and livestock nutritionists to explore haulm fodder traits as additional selection and breeding criteria. Fifty cowpea genotypes cultivated across five locations in Nigeria in 2013 and 2014 were evaluated for food fodder traits. Significant (P < 0.05) genotypic dependent variations were observed in yields (kg/ha) of grains (537–1082) and haulms (1173–3368), though significant (P < 0.05) effects of location and year were observed. Grain and fodder yield had a tendency to be positively correlated (r = 0.26, P = 0.07). Haulms were analyzed for nitrogen (N), fiber fractions, in vitro digestibility, and metabolizable energy content. Highly significant variations were observed in all genotypic and livestock nutrition traits, although location and year had significant effects. Trade-offs between grain yield and haulm fodder quality traits were largely absent and haulm acid detergent lignin and grain yield were even inversely correlated (r = -0.28, P = 0.05), that is high grain yielders had decreased haulm lignin. However, haulm N and grain yield also tended to be negatively associated (r = -0.26, P = 0.07). Haulm fodder quality traits and haulm yield were mostly positively correlated (P < 0.05). Broad sense heritabilities for grain and fodder yield were 0.50 and 0.29, respectively, while heritability for haulm fodder quality traits ranged from 0.61 to 0.67, providing opportunities for concomitant increase in grain yield and haulm fodder quality traits. Selection of the 10 highest ranking genotypes for grain yield, haulm yield, haulm N, and haulm in vitro organic matter digestibility showed selection groups overlapping, suggesting that multi-trait selection is feasible. Economical evaluation showed that choice of primary traits is context specific, highlighting the need for identifying and targeting appropriate genotypes to fit different production systems. Considering haulm quantity and quality as traits of economic value can increase overall plant value in mixed crop-livestock systems.