Temperate forages ensiled with molasses or fresh cheese whey: Effects on conservation quality, effluent losses and ruminal degradation

Abstract

Effects of ensiling and adding molasses or increasing levels of fresh cheese whey on the conservation and rumen degradability of temperate pasture silages were evaluated. Forage from three paddocks of mixed grass and legume pastures was used to make 45 silages (15 silages per paddock) with 5 treatments, including silage without additives (control), silage with 15 g/kg dehydrated molasses and silage with 20, 50 and 100 g/kg fresh cheese whey. The chemical composition and fermentation quality ( i.e., pH, ammonia N, loss of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF), effluent production) of the silages were determined. Fresh and ensiled materials were evaluated for in situ rumen degradability. Ensiling reduced DM and NDF rumen degradability (P<0.01). When additives were employed, the reduction of DM degradability of the silages decreased (P≤0.03). Addition of molasses led to the lowest pH (P<0.01) and DM losses (P<0.01), and highest DM degradability (P<0.01). The conservation and DM degradation results of dried molasses silage was superior to those of fresh whey silages. In general, an increase in the level of whey increased DM degradability (P≤0.03), but linearly increased effluent production (P<0.01) and losses (P<0.01).