MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE DIGESTION OF RICE STRAW BY TREATMENT WITH AMMONIA AND SULPHUR DIOXIDE

Rice straw treated with anhydrous ammonia and/or sulphur dioxide was incubated with rumen liquor for 24 hours and 48 hours to investigate the changes in cell wall structure caused by the treatments and bacterial degradation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A less significant tissue loss of untreated rice straw was inspected after incubated for 24 hours and 48 hours. Sulphuration decreased the thickness of sclerenchyma and apparently removed parenchyma tissues. Ammoniation degraded the phloem, and the lignified inner portion of the cell wall was completely, however, little collapsed epidemis and vascular bundles. Ammonia and Sulphur dioxide combined treatment removed the inner layer from outer layer. The extent of apparent degradability following combination treatment was the largest due to the enhanced microbial degradation of sclerenchyma and parenchyma cells.