Straw yield and potential utilization for forage in Inner Mongolia

To further improve the utilization of straw feed, reduce the cost of breeding, and improve the supply and insurance level of important livestock products, this paper takes Inner Mongolia as the research area to use the grass-to-grain ratio and collectible coefficient to estimate the yield of straw resources of major crops and their feed utilization potential. The results showed that the amount of theoretical resources and collectible utilization of the straw of the main crops in Inner Mongolia increased by 35.24 million and 30.99 million tons, respectively. There was an average annual growth rate of 5.72% and 5.96% from 2000 to 2020, with corn straw contributing the most growth. In 2020, the distribution of straw resources in Inner Mongolia showed that the east had more resources than the west, with the total available straw resources in the eastern part accounting for 69.33%. In Inner Mongolia, the areas that have higher potential for using straw to raise livestock are mainly in Tongliao, Xingan League, Hulunbuir, Chifeng, and other areas of eastern Mongolia. Meanwhile, Xilingol League, Alxa League and Wuhai are relatively low abundance areas. The other areas have an average level of abundance. Inner Mongolia is rich in straw resources and has strong feed utilization potential, but the regional distribution is unbalanced. The Eastern Mongolian area is an area with an abundance of straw resources and high abundance potential for straw livestock breeding. It is important to focus on the eastern Mongolian area to improve the utilization rate of straw feed, and continue to promote the green and high-quality development of agriculture and animal husbandry.