The experiment was conducted at the Animal Nutrition
Research Sheds of the Indian Veterinary Research
Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar in Uttar Pradesh province
of India. It is located at 170m above sea level (28◦22
latitude north and 79◦24 longitude east) in the northern
upper Gangetic plain, having an annual rainfall of
900–1200 mm. It is the region of the deepest soil in India
with hardly any variation in relief and suitable for
growing various types of subtropical crops and trees.
Wheat and rice being the main cultivated crops, cereal
straws form the basal diet of ruminants in the area.