This study evaluated fermentation characteristics and fungal numbers of napiergrass silages prepared with and without added raw or heated corn meal (10%, fresh-weight basis) at ensiling. Corn was added to napiergrass so that the silage would contain concentrate similar to that of corn silage with minimum grain content. The silages treated with raw or heated corn were fed to dairy does to compar...

Predicting animal performance and relating it to improvements in corn silage quality whether from breeding or management is complex. In numerous studies, differences in fiber and digestibility translate into differences in animal performance. For example, researchers in Idaho have found that high quality corn silage (low fiber and high digestibility) produced $315 more beef per acre than low qu...

A demonstration was conducted to examine the stored forage yield and stored forage quality of two different hay forage management systems. The forage management systems were a hay harvest only system or a complimentary hayround bale silage harvest system. The hay system harvested bermudagrass forage as hay during the summer when weather conditions allowed, the complimentary system harvested ber...

Improving the aerobic stability of silages M ICRO-ORGANISMS involved in the ensiling process include beneficial bacteria (homolactic acid bacteria), detrimental bacteria (for example, clostridia) and unwanted yeasts and moulds. In a good silage pit (or bun), air is eliminated by respiration from the plant and packing, thus preventing the growth of detrimental aerobic microbes. When air is elimi...

This experiment investigated the effects of different additives on fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility, and aerobic stability amaranth wheat bran (AWB) mixed silage. In this experiment, a two-factor (moisture content × additive) completely randomized experimental design was used, with as raw silage material, moisture adjusted to 60%, 65%, 70% using bran. At each condition, treatments i...

This study aimed to examine the effects of feeding corn silage inoculated without or with either Lactobacillus buchneri (LB) alone or a combination of LB and Lactobacillus plantarum (LBLP) on the apparent digestibility, ruminal fermentation, microbial protein synthesis, and growth performance of lambs. Thirty Santa Inês×Dorper crossbred intact males lambs weighing 20.4±3.8 kg were blocked by we...

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of molasses and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the chemical composition, silage fermentation characteristics, and in vitro ruminal fermentation parameters of an ensiled potato-wheat straw mixture in a completely randomized design with 4 replicates. Wheat straw was harvested at full maturity and potato tuber when the leaves turned yellowish. The p...

The effects of different dietary levels of maize silage (10% v. 36% DM) and group size (7 v. 14 animals) were assessed on growth performance and in vivo digestibility of 28 male fattening buffaloes. In addition, the effects of diet on meat quality and group size on behaviour and immune response were separately evaluated. Animals were weighed and assigned to three groups. The high silage - low s...

Three corn hybrids harvested as whole-plant silage were evaluated in three separate feeding trials with lactating dairy cows. In trial 1, 24 multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square with 28-d periods. Treatments were conventional (Pioneer 3563) and leafy (Mycogen TMF 106) corn silage hybrids, each planted at low (59,000 plants/ha) and high (79,000 plants/ha) plant ...

Corn can produce high dry matter yields with one harvest. Corn is a good crop to recycle nutrients from manure and maintain water quality. Corn silage is easily ensiled and generally results in palatable forage with relatively consistent quality and higher energy content than other forages. Corn silage production requires less labor and machinery time than other harvested forages. Thus, the cos...