Effect of Urea and Lime Treatment on Chemical Composition, In vitro Digestibility, and In sacco Degradability of Sesame Straw

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of treating sesame straw (SS) with lime and urea on the chemical composition, in vitro organic matter (OM) digestibility (IVOMD), and in sacco dry matter (DM) degradability of the straw. The treatments consisted of three levels of urea (0, 2 and 4%, w/w) and three levels of lime (0, 3 and 6%, w/w). The experiment was laid out as a completely randomized design (CRD) in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times per treatment. The results showed that urea treatment at 2 and 4% increased crude protein (CP) content of the straw by 47 and 76% from the level of 4.5% CP in the untreated SS. Urea treatment reduced the contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and cellulose in SS. Treating the straw with lime increased significantly only the level of ash due to the added calcium. In vitro organic matter (OM) digestibility (IVOMD), in sacco dry matter (DM) disappearance at most of the incubation hours, and washing loss and effective degradability of SS were increased with 4% urea treatment. However, treating the SS with lime did not improve the IVOMD and in sacco degradability of DM. Treating the straw with combined lime and urea also did not increase digestibility compared to the sole urea treatment. In conclusion, this study has revealed that treating sesame straw with 4% urea is the most effective method to enhance the feeding value of SS, which results from increased crude protein (CP) content and digestibility of the straw.

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