Silage Varieties Research Articles

GEM Project-Derived Maize Lines Crossed with Temperate Elite Tester Lines Make for High-Quality, High-Yielding and Stable Silage Hybrids

Maize silage is fundamental for high milk production in dairy farming. The incorporation of new genetic diversity into temperate maize germplasm has the potential to improve adapted cultivars, and it could be especially useful for improving the nutrition of silage varieties. The goal of this study is to assess the potential for lines from the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) project to compete with commercial silage hybrids when crossed with elite temperate-adapted testers. We examined 35 GEM-derived hybrids along with five commercial checks in seven environments across three years in trials that were arranged in randomized complete block designs. Hybrids were compared based on their potential for conversion into animal productivity units: milk yield per hectare (Milk ha−1) and milk yield per ton of silage (Milk t−1). Broad phenotypic variation was observed for both traits, and the broad-sense heritability of Milk ha−1 and Milk t−1 were 0.24 and 0.31, respectively. Five out of six hybrids in the top 15%, based on a multi-trait stability index, were GEM-derived hybrids. The large proportions of phenotypic variance attributed to genotype by environment interactions (GEI) for quality traits suggests that local adaptation should be leveraged for silage breeding that make use of GEM-derived materials.

Varieties and ensiling: Impact on chemical composition, fermentation quality and bacterial community of alfalfa.

Six species of alfalfa commonly found in northern China were collected in the present study. The chemical composition and epiphytic microbial communities during the ensiling were analyzed; and their effects on fermentation quality and silage bacterial communities were assessed. The effects of physicochemical characteristics of alfalfa on the bacterial community were also investigated in terms of nutritional sources of microbial growth and reproduction. The results showed that the chemical composition was significantly different in various alfalfa varieties, yet, the dominant genera attached to each variety of alfalfa was similar, except for pantoea (p<0.05). After ensiling, both the fermentation quality and microbial community changed obviously (p<0.05). Specifically, ZM2 had lower pH and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) content but higher LA content than other varieties of alfalfa silage. Beneficial bacteria such as Lentilactobacillus and Lactiplantibacillus were predominant in ZM2, which accounted for the higher fermentation quality. Significant correlations between the chemical composition of silage, fermentation quality and bacterial communities composition were observed. Moreover, variations in bacteria community structure during the fermentation of alfalfa were mainly influenced by water-soluble carbohydrates (36.79%) and dry matter (21.77%). In conclusion, this study revealed the influence of chemical composition on microbial community and fermentation quality, laying the groundwork for future studies on high-quality silage.

2021 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

In 2021, summer annual forage variety trials were conducted across Kansas near Garden City, Hays, and Scandia. All sites evaluated hay and silage entries. Companies were able to enter varieties into any possible combinations of research sites, so not all sites had all varieties. Across the sites, a total of 104 hay varieties and 55 sorghum silage varieties were evaluated.

Predicted milk production per hectare based on yield and chemical composition of native and hybrid maize silage varieties on temperate and tropical regions

The objective of the present study was to characterize maize silage according to chemical composition, maize silage yield, as well as their predicted milk production. A search was made on studies related to maize silage yield, density, chemical composition (DM, CP, NDF, starch), and dry matter digestibility (DMD). In this study, 41 maize varieties from temperate regions and 101 maize varieties from tropical origin were analyzed. The net energy of lactation (NEL Mcal/kg DM), kilograms of milk per t of silage (kg of milk/t DM), and kilograms of milk per hectare of silage (kg of milk/ha) were determined. A cluster (CL) analysis was performed, and six CL of maize silage were obtained. The CL1 included digestibility for dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, NEL, and kg of milk/t DM. CL2 was characterized by maize silage with the highest number of plants per hectare and NDF. CL3 included the highest ash content. CL4 consisted of intermediate values for all variables. CL5 included the highest forage yield (t DM/ha) and kg of milk/ha whereas CL6 included the highest kg of milk/t. Overall, CL1 resulted in the highest DMD and NEL, producing more milk per t DM. Results suggested that the ideal option is maize silage with a higher forage yield and more than 35 % DM (CL5) since this produces more kg of milk per hectare.

Corn Silage to Beef Calculation - Version 2

The Corn Silage to Beef Application has been made available both independently through the Iowa Beef Center website under the Tools-Calculator menu and incorporated into the BRaNDS Appendix as a means to rank the potential value of corn silage varieties used in beef rations.&amp;nbsp; After a few years of use, adjustments to the evaluation have been made and are provided in detail in the following excerpt.

Chemical Quality and Digestibility Value in Silage of &lt;i&gt;Pennisetum purpuphoides &lt;/i&gt;and&lt;i&gt; Pennisetum purpureum &lt;/i&gt;Gamma with Different Levels of Molasses Supplementation

This research was conducted to determine the chemical quality and digestibility of silage varieties of Pennisetum purpuphoides and Pennisetum purpureum gamma supplemented with molasses at different levels. The study was designed using a completely randomized design (CRD) 2 x 3 factorial pattern. The first factor was Pennisetum varieties consisting of P. purpuphoides and P. purpureum gamma radiation. The second factor was the level of molasses supplementation, i.e., 0, 3, and 6 %, with 5 replications on each group. The selected variable is the chemical characteristics of silage, i.e., pH, DM, OM, CP, CF, and NNFE, TDN, NH3, and lactic acid of silage. Pennisetum purpureum gamma and 6% molasses supplementation produce silage with good chemical quality. The increase in the level of supplementation of molasses is inversely proportional to the pH, crude fiber and NH3 silage (P&lt;0.05). Varieties markedly decreased curing pH, NH3, crude fiber, and silage concentration (P&lt;0.05). The content of lactic acid, DM, CP, crude fiber, TDN, and NNFE significantly increased linearly with an increase in the level of molasses supplementations (P&lt;0.05) and also significantly decreased CF levels (P&lt;0.05), but not significantly different from the OM content (P&gt;0.05). Varieties that showed changes in some parameters of the proposed chemical composition is towards decreasing crude fiber (P&lt;0.05), but significantly increased on the composition of DM, OM, CP, and NNFE (P&lt;0.05). Besides molasses supplementation at the 6% level on P. purpureum gamma varieties, their combinations showed improvements to produce the best chemical quality and digestibility of silage.

2020 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

2020 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

Towards smart dairy nutrition: Improving sustainability and economics of dairy production

To satisfy increasing food and nutrient supply requirements for our growing future human population, farmers and staple food producers carry vital responsibilities. Especially farmers with ruminant livestock like dairy cows transform otherwise for human consumption unsuitable fibre into highly nutritious milk and meat. Nevertheless, dairy farmers are challenged increasingly by the consequences of global warming. Economic risks like feed supply and volatile commodity prices need to be balanced, also taking into account the increasing environmental awareness of end-customers. Focusing just on emissions, dairy production is contributing an essential part of the total carbon footprint emitted by the agricultural sector. Since rumen degradability of feed was identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as one of the most influential parameters in reducing the carbon footprint of dairy farming, the desire to exploit leverage potential for efficiency increases can be considered exceptionally high. Although the positive effects of improved feed, in other words, neutral detergent fibre rumen degradability for dairy farming are well understood, detailed information on the correct management to obtain well digestible feed sources is still missing. Using the smart dairy nutrition ration formulation concept, applying readily on-farm available digitized data and management information the objectives of this study were: 1) to assess the influential parameters which govern neutral detergent fibre rumen degradability of corn silage, using a set of 584 corn silages from multiple years, and 2) to evaluate within an integrated dairy production set up the economic and ecological improvement potential by feeding a subset of 28 different corn silages, including detailed variety information. Results show that the neutral detergent fibre rumen degradability is primarily governed by variety choice and can be four times more important than the correct harvest stage decision. By feeding corn silage varieties with high neutral detergent fibre rumen degradability, monetary income could be increased by ~10% while simultaneously reducing manure accumulation.

2019 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

2019 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

Effect of xylanase, cellulase and natural maguey extract on the chemical composition of corn silage and in vitro rumen gas production

This study considered the application of two exogenous enzymes, xylanase (XYL) and cellulase (CELL), and maguey extract (ME), (applying 1 ml per kg as fresh matter) and a control (without additive) in four maize silage varieties (San Diego, Cacahuacintle, P-1832 and Victoria), to investigate their effect on the chemical composition (CC), gas production (GP) and in vitro ruminal fermentation. The GP was measured at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96 hours of incubation. Dry matter disappearance (DMD), organic matter disappearance (OMD), metabolizable energy (ME), and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were determined after 96 h of incubation. Data were analyzed using a completely randomized design with a 4×4 factorial arrangement with three replications. The CC showed a significant effect (P<0.05) for varieties with the exception of organic matter (OM), and the inclusion of additives increased the dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP). A significant effect (P<0.01) was observed for the varieties in the GP parameters and ruminal fermentation. The addition of XYL, CEL and ME promoted dry matter degradation and increased energy availability, with increased in vitro gas production.

Effects of Different Temperatures and Salt Concentrations on the Germination Of Some Corn Silage Varieties

Bu çalışma ile Akdeniz sahil koşullarında yetiştirilen 3 silajlık mısır çeşidinin farklı sıcaklık ve tuz konsantrasyonlarında çimlenme döneminde gösterdikleri tepkileri belirlenmiştir. Deneme en uygun çeşit, çimlenme sıcaklığı ile tuz konsantrasyonunu saptamak amacıyla çimlendirme dolabında Petri kapları içerisinde planlanmıştır. Araştırma materyali olarak kullanılan silajlık mısır çeşitleri (Batem Efe, Gözdem ve Burak) Batı Akdeniz Tarımsal Araştırma Merkezi (BATEM) tarafından karşılanmıştır. Bu çeşitlere 3 farklı sıcaklık (24 oC, 28 oC, 32 oC) değeri, sabit %75’lik nem oranında, 9 farklı tuz dozu (saf su, 1500, 3000, 5000, 7500, 10000, 15000, 20000, 25000 ppm tuz) uygulanmıştır. Araştırma bölünen bölünmüş parseller deneme deseninde 3 tekrarlamalı olarak kurulmuştur. Mısır çeşitlerinin bu koşullardaki çimlenme oranları, yaş sap ağırlıkları, yaş kök ağırlıkları, kuru sap ağırlıkları ve kuru kök ağırlıkları incelenmiştir. Varyans analizi sonucunda çimlenme oranında; sıcaklık, çeşit, sıcaklık*çeşit, tuz konsantrasyonu, sıcaklık*tuz konsantrasyonu, çeşit*tuz konsantrasyonu ve sıcaklık*çeşit*tuz konsantrasyonu üçlü interaksiyonu önemli bulunmuştur. Yaş sürgün ağırlığı özelliğinde; sıcaklık, çeşit ve tuz konsantrasyonu önemli olmuştur. Bunun yanında yaş kök ağırlığında; sıcaklık, çeşit ve tuz konsantrasyonunun önemli olduğu belirlenmiştir. Çimlenme özelliklerine bakılırken 20000 ppm ve 25000 ppm’lik konsantrasyonlarda çimlenme görülmemesi üzerine bu iki konsantrasyon istatistiki analize alınmamıştır. Aynı zamanda sürgün kuru ve kök kuru ağırlıkları ortalamaları istatistiki açıdan önemli bulunmamıştır. Ortalamalara uygulanan LSD testi sonuçları toplu olarak değerlendirildiğinde çeşitler içerisinde Gözdem ön plana çıkmaktadır. Tüm çeşitlerde 24 oC ve saf su koşullarında en yüksek değerler sağlanmıştır. Denemede kullanılan çeşitlerin 5000 ppm’lik tuz konsantrasyonuna kadar fide gelişimlerini tamamladıkları görülmüştür.

2018 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

2018 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

443 Effects of foliar fungicide and ensiling time on dry matter and in vitro digestibility of brown midrib and floury corn silage varieties.

443 Effects of foliar fungicide and ensiling time on dry matter and in vitro digestibility of brown midrib and floury corn silage varieties.

2017 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

The 2017 summer annual forage variety trials were conducted across Kansas near Garden City, Hays, Mound Valley, and Scandia. All sites evaluated included hay and silage entries. Companies were able to enter varieties into any possible combinations of research sites, so not all sites had all varieties. Across the sites, a total of 61 hay varieties and 66 silage varieties were evaluated.

2017 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

2017 Kansas Summer Annual Forage Hay and Silage Variety Trial

Physiochemical Characteristics and Molecular Structures for Digestible Carbohydrates of Silages.

The main objectives of this study were (1) to assess the magnitude of differences among new barley silage varieties (BS) selected for varying rates of in vitro neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (ivNDFD; Cowboy BS with higher ivNDFD, Copeland BS with intermediate ivNDFD, and Xena BS with lower ivNDFD) with regard to their carbohydrate (CHO) molecular makeup, CHO chemical fractions, and rumen degradability in dairy cows in comparison with a new corn silage hybrid (Pioneer 7213R) and (2) to quantify the strength and pattern of association between the molecular structures and digestibility of carbohydrates. The carbohydrate-related molecular structure spectral data was measured using advanced vibrational molecular spectroscopy (FT/IR). In comparison to BS, corn silage showed a significantly (P < 0.05) higher level of starch and energy content and higher degradation of dry matter (DM). Cowboy BS had lower feeding value (higher indigestible fiber content and lower starch content) and lower DM degradation in the rumen compared to other BS varieties (P < 0.05). The spectral intensities of carbohydrates were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with digestible carbohydrate content of the silages. In conclusion, the univariate approach with only one-factor consideration (ivNDFD) might not be a satisfactory method for evaluating and ranking BS quality. FT/IR molecular spectroscopy can be used to evaluate silage quality rapidly, particularly the digestible fiber content.

Forage Mass, Nutritive Value, and In situ Degradation of Sorghum Silage Treated with Fibrolytic Enzymes

Core Ideas Xylanase and cellulase treatment of sorghum silage did not affect sorghum silage nutritive value. The brown midrib trait and harvest timing have more influence on silage quality than fibrolytic enzymes. Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.] and sorghum‐sudangrass (S. bicolor × S. bicolor drummondii) silage utilization in cattle diets has increased in recent years. The objectives of this study were to compare the forage mass and nutritive value of photoperiod‐sensitive (PS) sorghum and hybrid sister lines with or without the BMR trait, and determine if fibrolytic enzymes would improve the rate and extent of in situ disappearance of PS forage sorghum (FS) and PS sorghum‐sudagrass (SS) silage varieties with or without the brown midrib (BMR) trait (i.e., FS‐PS, FS‐PS/BMR, SS‐PS, and SS‐PS/BMR). This experiment was a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement whereby the crop was grown, chopped, and ensiled and inoculated with or without (control) the enzyme mixture. Yield was at least 1.6 ton/acre and nutritive value similar to that of similar cultivars. Mini‐silo buckets were sealed for 150 days, and dried silage material weighed into duplicate Dacron bags for in situ incubation for 0, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, or 72 h in three ruminally cannulated Angus steers (679 ± 52.9 lb body weight [BW]) to determine rate and extent of dry‐matter (DM) disappearance. The addition of fibrolytic enzymes had little effect on the nutritive value of ensiled forage. Non‐BMR silage had a greater potentially degradable fraction; however, BMR varieties had a greater wash loss and extent of digestion. Based on our results, selecting a sorghum variety with the BMR trait may be more important than using a fibrolytic enzyme to improve silage degradation characteristics.

&lt;b&gt;Phenolic acids and ruminal parameters of different varieties of sugarcane &lt;i&gt;in natura&lt;/i&gt; or ensiled

This study aimed to determine and measure the phenolic acids in four varieties of sugarcane (RB 855536, RB 765418, SP 80-1842 and SP 80-1816) as fresh and ensiled, and assess the influence of these acids on in situ degradability of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial design. For the fraction of dry matter (DM), varieties RB 855536 and SP 80-1842 had average 17.80% higher compared to others. The SP80-1842 and RB 855536 varieties did not differ (p &gt; 0.05), with an average of DM effective degradability of 33.70%. For silage, the highest levels of p-coumaric acid were found in the variety RB 855536, which was 24.64% higher than the varieties RB 765418 and SP 80-1842 (average 12.75%) and 52.60% of the variety SP 80-1816 (average 8.02%), since for the in natura form, varieties did not differ between each other (p &gt; 0.05), and had an average of 8.86%. Silage variety SP 80-1816 has ferulic acid content 40.82% higher than the other varieties, with an average of 4.63%. The examination of the concentrations of phenolic acids p-coumaric and ferulic are not sufficient to justify the effect of microbial action on the varieties studied in different forms of processing.

English

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) is a good alternative for silage, especially in places with water scarcity and high temperatures, due to their morphological and physiological characteristics. Proper management contributes both to productivity and to the quality of forage. The present study was conducted with the following objectives: To evaluate the agronomic and bromatological performance of varieties of sorghum silage as well as their phenotypic stability in the early and late (off) seasons of planting in the region of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. The experiment was performed at the Capim Branco Experimental Farm of the Federal University of Uberlândia - UFU located in Uberlândia - MG. In this experimental area forage was planted at the normal, seasonal time and in the off season. A randomized block design was used with 25 treatments and three replications. Flowering, dry matter yield, plant height, Acid Detergent Fiber and Neutral Detergent Fiber of the cultivars were all found to be affected by the time of planting. The SF11 variety was found to be superior in terms of productivity and fiber quality regardless of the season. The evaluation of dry matter stability demonstrated superiority among the varieties: SF15, SF11, SF25, PROG 134 IPA, 1141572, 1141570 and 1141562. As for the stability of fiber quality, the 1141562 variety stood out. Key words: Photoperiod, digestibility, genotype, Sorghum bicolor.

Digestibility and performance of feeder lambs fed mixed barley grain – barley silage diets with varieties of barley silage selected on the basis of in vitro neutral detergent fibre degradability.

Barley silage varieties ranked based on in vitro neutral detergent fibre digestibility (NDFD) of commercial silage samples were designated as high-NDFD (H-NDFD, ‘CDC Cowboy’), intermediate-NDFD (I-...