Digestibility of Roughage Materials Ensiled with Sodium Chlorite

Feasibility of increasing the digestibility of roughage materials was investigated by both in vitro and in vivo techniques. Various substrates were enstied at 18~ dry matter with 0 to 7~ NaC102 (wet basis). Cell wall content, generally hemicellulose and liguin, decreased with increasing rates of NaCIO= treatment. Rice hulls and peanut hulls contain cut_in, which was hydrolyzed upon treatment with sodium chlorite. Wheat straw lignin was decreased most efficiently with sodium chlorite (2.81. g/g of NaC10=), but peanut hull lignin was not decreased. The in vitro disappearance of total cell wall was increased greatly by this approach. In vitro digestible cell wall consistently increased with increasing rate of NaC102 treatment.