A preliminary study on change of mistletoe (Viscum albüm L.) silage quality according to collection time and host tree species

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to determine the silage quality of mistletoe (Viscum album L.) collected from wild pear (Pyrus amygdaliformis) and poplar trees (Populus canadensis) in January, July, August, and December. The fresh samples were chopped in 2 cm size and ensiled in 2 kg plastic bags then stored at 25 ± 2 °C conditions for 45 days. Silage samples were investigated for dry matter ratio, pH, crude protein ratio, crude ash ratio, condensed tannin, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, lactic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, malic acid, citric acid, succinic acid, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium contents. All quality traits of mistletoe silages were significantly different between host trees, collected times, and the interactions of host tree x collection time. It has been determined that mistletoe can be used as silage in terms of all the traits investigated. Besides, the silage of mistletoe collected from wild pear in December is better than other treatments. Mistletoe can be considered as an alternative roughage source due to its high content of crude protein, nutrient composition, easy digestibility, and organic acid content.