RUMEN DEGRADABLE NITROGEN SUPPLEMENT REQUIREMENT FOR NUTRIENT UTILIZATION FROM FINGER MILLET (ELEUCINE CORACANA) STRAW BY CROSSBRED CATTLE

Finger miller straw (Eleucine coracana) supplemented with groundnut-ca ke (GNC) and cotton seed-cake (CSC) at 15 and 30 g level of rumen degr adable nitrogen (RDN) per kg digestible organic matter (DOM) was fed t o 30 crossbred heifers distributed equally under each regimen. The dry -matter intake of straw (DMIS) did not differ significantly under the 2 cake sources and nitrogen levels than that under the unsupplemented straw group, but the total DMI was significantly higher (P<0.05) under all the cake supplemented groups. However, the OM and NDF digestibili ty was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the groups receiving GNC at bo th levels (15 and 30 g RDN/kg DOM) than CSC supplementations as compar ed to unsupplemented group suggesting that for improved nutrient utili zation GNC was a better N-source than CSC with finger millet straw (FM S). In another experiment when GNC and CSC were supplemented at 15 g R DN/kg DOM level to heifers with ad lib. FMS n6 significant effect eith er on dry-matter or organic-matter intake of straw was observed. GNC w as a better degradable N supplement.