MINERAL CONCENTRATION IN RICE STRAW AND SOIL IN KYONGBUK PROVINCE, KOREA

A field survey was carried out in Korea to assess the mineral composition of rice straw since it is a cheap and available cattle feedstuff. Forage and soil samples were collected in 4 localities in the Kyongbuk province. Soil analysis were also carried out in order to establish the relationships between soil composition and mineral content in the rice straw. Based on NRC tables, the rice straw samples provided adequate amounts of Mg, Ca, K, S, Mo, Mn and Zn. Percentages of samples deficient in P, Na, Cu and Se were 83, 50, 67 and 83 respectively. Soil samples, whose mean pH was 5.8 and mean organic matter content was 3.99%, were comparatively acidic and had high organic matter content. They also had high amounts of extractable Fe and Mn. Correlation coefficients between mineral content in soil and rice straw were low, i.e., 0.42 for Me (p < 0.05), and 0.37 for Mo (p < 0.05). The low or nonexistent correlation between soil and forage composition indicates the difficulty of establishing appropriate methods of mineral availability to the plants.