Crop residues are the fibrous parts of plants that remain after the harvest of crops for human consumption. Amongst crop varieties, cereal crops produce large quantities of stem and leaf besides crop harvest, which become part of the livestock diet for conversion into economic products.
Crop residues are produced in crop farming systems. Most of them are normally left as waste or as mulch in the field, or they are burnt.
Crop residues have common characteristics:
- Poor palatability
- Low in crude protein (mostly below 6%)
- High in cellulose and other structural carbohydrates (crude fiber)
- Low digestibility
- Low in calcium and phosphorus