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Liquid hot water (LHW) treatment can be used to disrupt the fiber structure of rice straw. This in vitro ruminal batch culture study investigated the effect of LHW treatment on feed degradation, methane (CH 4 ) production, and microbial populations. Rice straw was treated by LHW, and in vitro ruminal fermentation was performed using an automatic system with 72 h of incubation. Scanning electron microscopy showed that LHW treatment disrupted the physical structure of rice straw. Liquid hot water treatment decreased neutral detergent fiber and hemicellulose contents of the rice straw and increased neutral detergent solubles, watersoluble carbohydrates, and arabinose contents. Liquid hot water treatment increased dry matter degradation and volatile fatty acid concentration and decreased the acetate: propionate ratio, CH 4 production, hydrogen accumulation, neutral detergent fiber degradation, and populations of protozoa, fungi, and cellulolytic bacteria. In summary, LHW treatment disrupted the cellulose-hemicellulose-lignin structure matrix of rice straw, leading to increased substrate degradability and decreased CH 4 production. Therefore, the LHW treatment is a potential strategy to improve the nutritive value of forage such as rice straw and decrease the CH 4 emissions in ruminants.

BackgroundThe Three Gorges project has caused many ecosystem problems. Ecological restoration using readily-available plants is an effective way of mitigating environmental impacts. Two perennial submergence-tolerant ecotypes of Calamagrostis arundinacea were planted in an experimental field in the drawdown zone. Responses of the two plant ecotypes to flooding stress in the drawdown zone were unknown.Methodology/Principal FindingsCarbohydrate content and membrane stability, two key factors for survival of plants under flooding stress, of two ecotypes (designated “dwarf” and “green”) of C. arundinacea growing at different elevations of the drawdown zone were investigated. Live stems (LS) and dead stems (DS) of the two plant ecotypes at eight elevations (175, 170, 162, 160, 158, 155, 152 m and 149 m) were sampled. Contents of soluble sugar, starch and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as plasma membrane permeability of live stems were measured. The lowest elevations for survival of dwarf and green C. arundinacea were 160 m and 158 m, respectively. Soluble sugar content of live stems of both ecotypes decreased with elevation, with amounts from an elevation of 170 m being lower than from an elevation of 175 m. MDA content and plasma membrane permeability in live stems of green C. arundinacea did not increase with the decrease in elevation, while these measures in dwarf C. arundinacea from an elevation of 162 m were significantly higher than from an elevation of 175 m.ConclusionsCarbohydrate content, especially soluble sugar content, in both ecotypes was more sensitive to flooding stress than membrane stability. Green C. arundinacea had a higher tolerance to submergence than dwarf C. arundinacea, and thus green C. arundinacea can be planted at lower elevations than dwarf C. arundinacea.

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) can be divided into two components, i.e. N productivity (A) and the mean residence time (MRT). Controlled experiments indicate that there is not a trade-off between A and MRT within species, but this theory has not been well tested in field conditions. Here, we studied the A, MRT and NUE of Stipa krylovii Roshev. in a grassland over 4 years of N fertilisation experimentation. The three parameters (A, MRT and NUE) were significantly related to soil N supply and there was a negative relationship between A and MRT within this species (r = –0.775, P < 0.05), i.e. plants with higher A had lower MRT. Our results showed a trade-off between A and MRT within this Stipa species and this observed trade-off was attributed to different responses of A and MRT to soil fertility.