ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate changes in in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and cell wall constituent degradation in wheat straw treated with 3 strains of the fungus Pleurotus tuber-regium (PT). The incubation of wheat straw for 30 days at 28 degrees C improved IVDMD from 30.3% (UWS-untreated wheat straw) to 47.1% for strain PT1, to 48.5% for PT4, and was unchanged IVDMD-29.9% -for PT5. The growth of fungi was accompanied by the dry matter loss of wheat straw: 31.5% for PT1, 20.9% for PT4, and 4.8% for PT5. Fungal treatment was characterized by increased crude protein and ash contents (%) in all fungi-treated straws and reduced hemicellulose and lignin content. It is evident that enzymes of all 3 PT strains preferentially degraded hemicellulose and lignin over cellulose. Wheat straw treated with PT1 (TWS-PT1), PT4 (TWS-PT4), and PT5 (TWS-PT5) and barley (80% : 20%) were used as the experimental diets at the fermentation in the artificial rumen. UWS with barley (80% : 20%) served as the control diet. The fermentation of experimental diets was accompanied with increased IVDMD and a very low degree of hemicellulose degradation. Total gas and methane productions were similar in all diets. Moreover, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production (mmol day(-1)), mol % of acetate, propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate, and isovalerate were not influenced during the fermentation of experimental diets. From the stoichiometric relations, production, utilization, and recovery of metabolic hydrogen and organic matter fermented were unchanged. Only the recovery of metabolic hydrogen in TWS-PT5 was significantly increased in comparison to control diet. Total microbial production showed the tendency of lower values in experimental diets, and it was accompanied with a significant decrease of ammonia nitrogen (mg L(-1)). Finally the results showed that the strains of Pleurotus tuber-regium can improve the quality of wheat straw, but the loss of dry matter (DM) (mainly hemicellulose) limits the effective utilization of fungi-treated straw in ruminant digestion.
