Nutritional Composition of Secondary Rice Stem: Lower Part Foraged and Upper Part Left by Middendorff's Bean Goose

Abstract

When grazing upon secondary rice stems, Middendorff's Bean Goose Anser fabalis middendorffii, forages the lower stem parts but discards the upper parts. We examined the nutritional composition of these parts of secondary rice stem, and discovered that the lower stem parts are energetically superior to the upper stem parts. This might explain the selective grazing behaviour of Middendorff's Bean Goose on secondary rice stems.