Optimising the use of barley straw in tropical ruminant diets

Barley straw is an available aftermath crop for livestock, but nutritive value is low. Three strategies will be evaluated to improve nutritive value: 1) selecting the best origin of barley straw (geographical region and barley variety), 2) increase digestive efficiency through chopping, 3) targeted combination with other local sources to optimise microbial efficiency in the rumen (protein from fodder trees).