Table 2.
Effects of different straw particle size on products of rumen fermentation.
| Units | Particle size | SEM | p-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mm | 2 mm | 4 mm | |||
| Total VFAs, mml/L | 93.03b | 94.01b | 97.24a | 1.27 | 0.03 |
| Individual, % of total VFAs | |||||
| Acetate | 72.52b | 72.30b | 74.42a | 1.09 | <0.01 |
| Propionate | 13.05b | 13.71b | 14.41a | 0.13 | <0.01 |
| Iso-butyrate | 0.76b | 0.71b | 0.84a | 0.02 | <0.01 |
| Butyrate | 7.79 | 7.85 | 7.15 | 0.35 | 0.06 |
| Iso-valerate | 3.15 | 2.90 | 1.92 | 0.18 | 0.14 |
| Valerate | 2.73a | 2.53b | 1.26c | 0.03 | <0.01 |
| A: P | 5.56 | 5.27 | 5.16 | 0.16 | 0.11 |
| Ammonia-N (mg/dL) | 5.85 | 6.14 | 7.16 | 0.34 | 0.07 |
SEM, standard error of the mean.
a−cMeans within a row for doses that do not have a common superscript differ (p <0.05). Total VFAs = acetate + propionate + butyrate + valerate + iso-butyrate +iso-valerate.
A: P, acetate: propionate.