Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of potassium fertilizer (standard (S) and high (H) levels) on water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content of timothy (Phleum pratense L.), silage fermentation, nutritive values, and nutrient intake. The silage treatments were as follows: S level without inoculant (SC), S level plus inoculant (SI), H level without inoculant (HC), and H level plus inoculant (HI). The K content was increased by 14.5% in timothy grown with the H level compared with the S level. The WSC contents of the S and H treatments were 75.9 and 66.1 g·kg-1 dry matter (DM), respectively. The silage fermentation quality was low with both SC and HC treatments. The addition of inoculant significantly improved the fermentation quality in SI and HI treatments. The addition increased the DM and organic matter digestibilities of silage. The total digestible nutrient (TDN) content of silage was highest with the HI treatment. The DM, TDN, and digestible energy intakes with the SI and HI treatments were improved compared with the SC and HC treatments, respectively. This study demonstrated negligible effects of K fertilizer levels and significant effects of the lactic acid bacteria inoculant on the fermentation quality, nutritive values, and feed intake of silage.
Highlights
Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) is a backbone forage grass in Hokkaido, Japan, and is utilized as silage by most dairy farmers
This study demonstrated negligible effects of K fertilizer levels and significant effects of the lactic acid bacteria inoculant on the fermentation quality, nutritive values, and feed intake of silage
The sucrose content was substantially lower than the glucose content, while the sucrose content from the S treatment was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that from the H treatment
Summary
Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) is a backbone forage grass in Hokkaido, Japan, and is utilized as silage by most dairy farmers. For the preparation of high-quality grass silage, lactic acid fermentation should be advanced. It is well known that lactic acid fermentation is greatly influenced by the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content [1] [2]. WSC content is affected by several factors, including growth stage, harvest time, wilting treatment, cultivar, and fertilizer management [3]-[6]. Reports have shown that a reduction in WSC can lower the fermentation quality of silage [7]-[12]. Wang et al focused on the effect of fertilizer rate on WSC content via several factors. Research showed a fertilizer rate of nitrogen (N) higher than standard rate reduced the WSC content in timothy, but nutritive value and feed intake were not affected [13]
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