Rice straw was obtained from Chainart variety of rice. The straw was soaked in water for 1 h for cleaning. Water was drained, and the wet straw was allowed to sun-dry (35 ± 5 °C) for 4 h. Straw was then cut into 5 cm strips, packed in polyethylene (PE) bags and kept in refrigerator (10 ± 2 °C) for further use.