Untreated Corn Silage Research Articles

Inoculation of corn silage with Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis associated with amylolytic enzyme supply at feeding. 2. Growth performance and carcass and meat traits of lambs

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of inoculation of corn silage and dietary supplementation of amylolytic enzymes, and their interaction, on lamb growth performance and carcass and meat traits. Whole-crop corn forage was treated either with water (untreated) or with Lactobacillus plantarum MA 18/5U at 1 × 105 cfu/g fresh forage combined with Bacillus subtilis AT553098 at 1 × 105 cfu/g fresh forage (inoculated) and ensiled for 170 d. Forty non-castrated Texel × Dorper male lambs were arranged in a randomized block design (n = 10) and then assigned to one of four diets, as follows: 1) untreated corn silage with no amylolytic enzyme supply (NI-NA); 2) untreated corn silage with amylolytic enzyme supply (NI-WA); 3) inoculated corn silage with no amylolytic enzyme supply (WI-NA); and 4) inoculated corn silage with amylolytic enzyme supply (WI-WA). α-Amylase (602 dextrinizing units/kg of dry matter (DM)) was supplied to the lambs at total mixed ration delivery. Inoculation of corn silage increased (P = 0.003) both digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) intake by 1.4 and 1.2 MJ/kg DM, respectively, and also resulted in higher average daily gain (ADG; P = 0.023) of lambs (233 vs. 212 g/d in lambs fed NI diet). In contrast, dietary supplementation with amylolytic enzymes had no effect on the DM intake (P = 0.90) or ADG (P = 0.15) of lambs. Moreover, inoculation, enzyme supplementation, and their interaction had no significant effects on carcass traits (P ≥ 0.06), commercial cut yield (P ≥ 0.26), chemical composition of meat (P ≥ 0.13), and meat tenderness and color (P ≥ 0.11). In terms of the fatty acid composition of longissimus muscle, inoculation of corn silage increased concentrations of saturated fatty acids (SFA; P = 0.035) from 46.2% to 47.6%, and reduced concentrations of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA; P = 0.035) from 53.8% to 52.5%, compared to the NI diet. Inoculation also reduced the UFA:SFA ratio (P = 0.031) from 1.17 to 1.11, a small but significant difference. Dietary supplementation with amylolytic enzymes did not alter (P ≥ 0.09) SFA, UFA, and polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations, or their ratios. In conclusion, our results indicated that the silage inoculant examined in the present study is recommended for use in improving lamb production at the farm scale, whereas inclusion of amylolytic enzymes is not required under our experimental conditions.

Inoculation of corn silage with Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis associated with amylolytic enzyme supply at feeding. 1. Feed intake, apparent digestibility, and microbial protein synthesis in wethers

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of corn silage inoculation and dietary supplementation with amylolytic enzymes, and their interactions, on feed intake, apparent digestibility, and microbial protein synthesis in wethers. Whole-crop corn forage was ensiled either with water (untreated) or with Lactobacillus plantarum MA 18/5U at 1 × 105 cfu/g fresh forage combined with Bacillus subtilis AT553098 at 1 × 105 cfu/g fresh forage (inoculated). Eight ruminally cannulated Dorper × Santa Inês crossbred wethers were used in a double 4 × 4 Latin square design. Wethers were assigned to one of four diets, as follows: 1) untreated corn silage with no amylolytic enzyme supply (US-NE); 2) untreated corn silage with amylolytic enzyme supply (US-WE); 3) inoculated corn silage with no amylolytic enzyme supply (IS-NE); and 4) inoculated corn silage with amylolytic enzyme supply (IS-WE). α-Amylase (602 dextrinizing units/kg of dry matter (DM)) was supplied to the wethers at total mixed ration delivery. Dietary supplementation with amylolytic enzyme increased (P = 0.045) DM and starch (P = 0.014) intake in wethers fed the US diet (+245 and +136 g/d, respectively), but not in those fed the IS diet. Inoculation of corn silage (P = 0.026) improved organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom), and gross energy (GE) digestibility by 5.3%, 11.5%, 25.8%, and 7.1%, respectively. Likewise, enzyme supply increased (P = 0.042) the apparent digestibility of DM, OM, CP, aNDFom, and GE by 5.1%, 4.7%, 9.4%, 20.7%, and 6.2%, respectively. Enzyme supply increased the molar proportion of propionic acid (P = 0.002; 24.1 vs. 19.6 mM / 100 mM) in wethers fed the US diet, but not in those fed the IS diet. Enzyme supply decreased microbial N synthesis (P = 0.025; 6.33 vs. 8.05 g/d) when the wethers were fed the IS diet, but not the US diet. In conclusion, despite the improved OM digestibility, dietary supplementation with amylolytic enzyme yielded inconsistent results with respect to feed intake and microbial protein synthesis in wethers fed diets differing in the use of silage inoculant.

Foliar fungicide (pyraclostrobin) application on corn and its effects on corn silage composition

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of various applications of foliar fungicide on corn ensiled as corn silage. Treatments were replicated once and assigned to one of eight 0.4-ha plots of corn as follows: control (CON), plants receiving no foliar fungicide application; treatment 1 (V5), where plants received a mixture of pyraclotrobin and fluxapyroxad foliar fungicide (Priaxor, BASF Corp.) at corn vegetative stage 5 (V5); treatment 2 (V5+R1), where plants received two applications of foliar fungicide, a mixture of pyraclotrobin and fluxapyroxad at V5 and a mixture of pyraclostrobin+metconazole foliar fungicide (Headline AMP; BASF Corp.) at corn reproductive stage 1 (R1); treatment 3 (R1), in which plants received one application of pyraclostrobin+metconazole foliar fungicide at R1. Samples of corn for corn silage were collected at harvest, prepared as 0.9-kg mini-silos and vacuum sealed. These were ensiled for 0, 30, 90, and 150 d postharvest then frozen for later analysis. Applications of fungicide on corn, later ensiled as corn silage resulted in less (P<0.001) DM content (319, 315, and 317g/kg for V5, V5+R1, and R1, respectively) compared with untreated corn silage (CON; 335g/kg). Corn silage from R1 resulted in a lower (P=0.03) concentration of lignin (20g/kg DM) and greater (P=0.001) concentration of lactic acid (55.0g/kg DM) when compared with corn silage from other treatments (lignin: 24, 24, and 26g/kg DM for CON, V5, and V5+R1, respectively; and lactic acid: 46.5, 50.1, and 50.9g/kg DM for CON, V5, and V5+R1, respectively). Treatment R1 had a greater (P=0.03) concentration of water soluble carbohydrates at 0 and 150 d postharvest (123 and 31.5g/kg DM for 0 and 150 d, respectively; and an increased lactic acid concentration at 90 d (71.1g/kg DM for R1 vs. 63.4, 68.4, and 69.2g/kg DM for CON, V5, and V5+R1, respectively) when compared to the other treatments. Results suggested that fungicide application on corn at V5 or R1 may enhance the nutritive and fermentative profile when ensiled for feeding ruminants.

Recovery of Phenolic Acid and Enzyme Production from Corn Silage Biologically Treated by Trametes versicolor.

Corn silage is used as high-energy forage for dairy cows and more recently for biogas production in a process of anaerobic co-digestion with cow manure. In this work, fresh corn silage after the harvest was used as a substrate in solid-state fermentations with T. versicolor with the aim of phenolic acid recovery and enzyme (laccase and manganese peroxidase) production. During 20days of fermentation, 10.4-, 3.4-, 3.0-, and 1.8-fold increments in extraction yield of syringic acid, vanillic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and caffeic acid, respectively, were reached when compared to biologically untreated corn silage. Maximal laccase activity was gained on the 4th day of fermentation (V.A.=180.2U/dm3), and manganese peroxidase activity was obtained after the 3rd day of fermentation (V.A.=30.1U/dm3). The addition of copper(II) sulfate as inducer during solid state fermentation resulted in 8.5- and 7-fold enhancement of laccase and manganese peroxidase activities, respectively. Furthermore, the influence of pH and temperature on enzyme activities was investigated. Maximal activity of laccase was obtained at T=50°C and pH=3.0, while manganese peroxidase is active at temperature range T=45-70°C with the maximal activity at pH=4.5.

EFFECT OF MICROBIOLOGICAL TREATMENT ON THE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF CORN SILAGE

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of microbiological treatment on improving the nutritive value of corn silage as animal feed. Dried whole corn plants were prepared and two ground silos (0.5 ton each) wereused for ensiling whole corn silage and inoculated by bacterial inoculant (containing Lactobacillus plantarum and Entrococcus faecium) at the recommended rate of 1/2g bacterial inoculants/liter of water/ton of fresh whole corn silage. The ensiling period lasted for 50 days. The criteria of response were determined by: the quality of treated corn silage, chemical characteristics and performance of rams, nutrients digestibility and nitrogen balance. Results for treated and untreated silage, respectively, showed that the silage had pH 3.71 and 3.69, Total Volatile Fatty Acids (TVFA) were 2.48 and 1.98 mmol/100ml, and NH3-N values were 6.1% and 6.41% (on dry matter basis). The values of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), ether extract (EE), nitrogen free extract (NFE) and ash content on dry matter basis, however, were very close in the two rations. There were no significant differences between the two rations for the dry matter (DM). The value of CF digestibility was not significantly different from that in treated corn silage, while ration contents of treated corn silage were significantly higher in OM, CP, NFE and EE digestibility than the untreated corn silage. Recorded values for total digestible nutrients (TDN) and starch value (SV) of rations of treated corn silage were significantly higher than those of untreated corn silage being 52.64 and 63.37 vs. 43.53 and 56.09%, respectively. The digestible crude protein (DCP) values were (7.43%) for ration of treated corn silage by 5.96% for the ration of untreated corn silage.

The effects of microbial inoculation of corn silage on performance of lactating dairy cows

The effects of microbial inoculation of corn silages on animal performance were evaluated using nine primparous lactating dairy cows in a 3×3 change over design with 21-d periods. Whole plant corn was harvested at the medium dough stage of maturity (30% DM), chapped and ensiled in horizontal silos. The following treatments were applied to the forage: 1) control (contain untreated corn silage), 2) diets containing corn silage treated with a commercial inoculant (Lactisil) and 3) diets containing corn silage treated with an inoculant as a fresh culture produced in laboratory. Dry matter intake (DMI) was significantly affected by treatments (P≤0.05). The cows on laboratory inoculated silage had significantly higher DMI than those on control group (21.89 vs 21.32). There was no significant difference between the treatments on ruminal pH and ruminal NH3-N concentration. Inoculation had no significant effect on milk composition, milk yield and 4% fat corrected milk production. Milk yield and 4% FCM in treatment that were inoculated with laboratory inoculation were 1.3 and 0.65kg/d greater than from control silage respectively. Also there was no significant effect on blood plasma metabolites. It is concluded that microbial inoculants had minimal effect on the performance of lactating dairy cows.

The effects of Lactobacillus plantarum and Propionibacterium acidipropionici on corn silage fermentation, ruminal degradability and nutrient digestibility in sheep.

Summary The chemical composition, in situ ruminal degradability coefficients of dry matter (DM), and nutrient digestibility in sheep were evaluated for corn silage (CS) treated (fresh weight basis) with different levels of commercial bacterial inoculant (I) as follows: (1) untreated CS (control); (2) CS + I at half of the recommended level; (3) CS + I at the recommended level (3 × 10 10 colony forming units per g of fresh forage) and (4) CS + I at two-fold recommended level. The inoculants (Lallemand, France) consisted of Lactobacillus plantarum and Propionibacterium acidipropionici. Whole- plant corn was ensiled for 60 days in plastic polyethylene bags. Also, three laboratory silos (70 g capacity) for each treatment were sampled on days 2, 3, 4 and 60 to study the pH changes. The silages underwent rapid fermentation and were well- preserved. The pH value decreased to 4.0 on day 2 and was the lowest for treatment 2 on day 60 after ensiling compared with other treatments. Treatment 2 had higher (P<0.05) contents of crude protein (CP), residual water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), lactic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, and total acids, but lower (P<0.05) butyric acid than treatment 3, and also higher acetic and lower butyric acid levels than other treatments. No traces of ethanol were detected in any of the silages. The acid detergent fiber (ADF) content of treatments 1 and 4 was lower (P<0.05) than others. Only ether extract (EE) digestibility was affected by these treatments which was higher for treatments 1 and 4 (P<0.05). The DM recovery for treatment 1 was lower than others. Effective DM degradability was slightly higher for treatment 4 and fraction a was significantly (P<0.05) lower for treatments 1 and 3 compared with treatment 4. The results indicated that application of this inoculant at half of the recommended level was more effective to enhance the aerobic stability of silages due to higher acetic and propionic acid production which have antimycotyic properties. The decreased cost associated with this level of inoculant might be economical for farmers in warm climates as to encourage its use as an additive for silage making.

A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Lactobacillus buchneri on the Fermentation and Aerobic Stability of Corn and Grass and Small-Grain Silages

The results of adding Lactobacillus buchneri to silages from 43 experiments in 23 sources reporting standard errors were summarized using meta-analysis. The effects of inoculation were summarized by type of crop (corn or grass and small grains) and the treatments were classified into the following categories: 1) untreated silage with nothing applied (LB0), 2) silage treated with L. buchneri at ≤100,000 cfu/g of fresh forage (LB1), and 3) silage treated with L. buchneri at>100,000 cfu/g (LB2). In both types of crops, inoculation with L. buchneri decreased concentrations of lactic acid, and this response was dose-dependent in corn but not in grass and small-grain silages. Treatment with L. buchneri markedly increased the concentrations of acetic acid in both crops in a dose-dependent manner. The numbers of yeasts were lower in silages treated with LB1 and further decreased in silages treated with LB2 compared with untreated silages. Untreated corn silage spoiled after 25h of exposure to air but corn silage treated with LB1 did not spoil until 35h, and this stability was further enhanced to 503h with LB2. In grass and small-grain silages, yeasts were nearly undetectable; however, inoculation improved aerobic stability in a dose-dependent manner (206, 226, and 245h for LB0, LB1, and LB2, respectively). The recovery of DM after ensiling was lower for LB2 (94.5%) when compared with LB0 (95.5%) in corn silage and was lower for both LB1 (94.8%) and LB2 (95.3%) when compared with LB0 (96.6%) in grass and small-grain silages.

Microbial Counts, Fermentation Products, and Aerobic Stability of Whole Crop Corn and a Total Mixed Ration Ensiled With and Without Inoculation of Lactobacillus casei or Lactobacillus buchneri

Whole crop corn (DM 29.2%) and a total mixed ration (TMR, DM 56.8%) containing wet brewers grains, alfalfa hay, dried beet pulp, cracked corn, soybean meal, and molasses at a ratio of 5:1:1:1:1:1 on fresh weight basis, were ensiled with and without Lactobacillus casei or Lactobacillus buchneri in laboratory silos. The effects of inoculation on microbial counts, fermentation products, and aerobic stability were determined after 10 and 60 d. Untreated corn silage was well preserved with high lactic acid content, whereas large numbers of remaining yeasts resulted in low stability on exposure to air. Inoculation with L. casei suppressed heterolactic fermentation, but no improvements were found in aerobic stability. The addition of L. buchneri markedly enhanced the aerobic stability, while not affecting the DM loss and NH3-N production. Large amounts of ethanol were found when the TMR was ensiled, and the content of ethanol overwhelmed that of lactic acid in untreated silage. This fermentation was related to high yeast populations and accounted for a large loss of DM found in the initial 10 d. The ethanol production decreased when inoculated with L. casei and L. buchneri, but the effects diminished at 60 d of ensiling. Inoculation with L. buchneri lowered the yeasts in TMR silage from the beginning of storage; however, the populations decreased to undetectable levels when stored for 60 d, regardless of inoculation. No heating was observed in TMR silage during aerobic deterioration test for 7 d. This stability was achieved even when a high population of yeasts remained and was not affected by either inoculation or ensiling period. The results indicate that inoculation with L. buchneri can inhibit yeast growth and improve aerobic stability of corn and TMR silage; however, high stability of TMR silage can be obtained even when no treatments were made and high population (>105 cfu/g) of yeasts were detected.

Wet Tomato Pomace Ensiled with Corn Plants for Dairy Cows

The fermentation characteristics and nutritive value of a mixture of whole corn plants and wet tomato pomace were studied. Laboratory silos were filled with mixtures of corn plant dry matter (DM) and tomato pomace DM in the following ratios: 100:0, 94:6, and 88:12. The initial pH of the mixtures decreased linearly as the amount of tomato pomace increased, but no treatment effects were found after 3 d of ensiling. At d 56, concentrations of lactic acid and nonprotein N (as a percentage of total N) decreased linearly as tomato pomace increased. Whole corn plants were chopped from a single field, mixed with 0 or 12% tomato pomace (percentage of DM), and ensiled in two concrete stave silos. The addition of tomato pomace increased concentrations of crude protein (7.6 to 9.8%), lignin (2.4 to 6.1%), and fatty acids (2.5 to 3.8%). Both silages were mixed into an isonitrogenous total mixed ration that contained 40% concentrate. The total mixed rations were fed to lactating dairy cows for 60 d. Milk production (35.5kg/d), milk composition, DMI (22.7kg/d), nutrient digestibility, and N balance were not affected by the addition of tomato pomace. Wet tomato pomace can be blended with corn plants before ensiling without greatly altering fermentation. The nutritional value of the mixture was equivalent to that of untreated corn silage.

Degradation of Crude Protein in Forages Determined by In Vitro and In Situ Procedures

Objectives were to determine in selected forages fiber and protein fractions, in vitro and in situ CP degradability, and to compare in vitro methods of estimating rumen CP degradability with the in situ bag technique. Forages analyzed (five samples per treatment except alfalfa hays, which had four) included alfalfa as baled hay, alfalfa ensiled in conventional upright silos, alfalfa ensiled in oxygen-limiting silos, ammonia-treated corn silage, untreated corn silage, and orchardgrass hay. Untreated corn silages had the greatest protease insoluble CP at 48h, indicating protein in corn silage is not degraded well by protease enzyme. In situ CP degradability was greater than 80% for all ensiled forages. Ensiled forages had the greatest estimated A fraction (rapidly degraded in the rumen), alfalfa hays had the greatest B fraction (intermediate rate of degradation), and orchardgrass hays had the greatest C fraction (not degraded in rumen).High correlations between in situ degradability and some in vitro measurements suggest laboratory techniques of estimating CP degradability of forages are possible. For silages, buffer-soluble CP had the greatest correlation (.58) with in situ degradability; for hays, NDIN had the greatest correlation (−.83).

Effects of Diet Nitrogen and Forage Nitrogen Insolubility on Performance of Cows in Early Lactation

Thirty-six Holsteins were allotted at parturition to six treatments to measure effects of diet nitrogen and increased insolubility of silage nitrogen on performance and ruminal, plasma, and milk constituents during the first 100 d of lactation. Diets contained 40% concentrate and 60% silage in dry matter. The six silage treatments were 1) untreated corn silage (low nitrogen); 2) untreated corn silage and untreated alfalfa silage (1:1); 3) untreated corn silage and formaldehyde and formic acid-treated alfalfa silage (1:1); 4) ammonia-treated corn silage (low nitrogen); 5) treated corn silage and untreated alfalfa silage (1:1); or 6) treated corn silage and treated alfalfa silage (1:1). Diets containing ammonia-treated corn silage had higher hot water-insoluble nitrogen and diets containing formaldehyde and formic acid-treated alfalfa had higher autoclaved rumen fluid-insoluble and hot water-insoluble nitrogen that their respective untreated silage diets. Dry matter intake, daily yields of milk and its constituents, ruminal NH3 nitrogen, and plasma urea nitrogen were lower for cows consuming low nitrogen diets containing only corn silage compared with cows consuming high nitrogen diets containing alfalfa. Dry matter intake and milk protein yields were greater for cows consuming treated alfalfa compared with untreated alfalfa in the diet. Daily 4% fat-corrected milk yields tended to be higher for diets containing treated alfalfa than untreated alfalfa. Cows fed diets containing NH3-treated corn silage had similar milk, fat, and protein yields compared with diets containing untreated corn silage and urea in the concentrate.

APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY AND NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF UREA OR AMMONIA-SOLUTION-TREATED CORN SILAGES FOR LACTATING HOLSTEIN COWS AND MATURE SHEEP

Corn silages were treated at harvest with 0.5% urea or 1.3–2.2% ammonia-molasses-mineral solution. Apparent recoveries of added nitrogen in the corn silages ranged from 95 to 100% in both experiments. Water-insoluble N and lactic acid contents were increased in the treated silages as compared to the control. Four diets containing either (1) grass-legume (GL) silage (38% DM) + medium grain (MG); (2) 0.5% urea-treated corn (CU) silage (31% DM) + MG; (3) 2.2% ammonia-treated corn (AC) silage (32% DM) + MG; (4) AC silage + low grain (LG) were fed to eight Holstein cows in a latin square design. Silage DM consumption, milk production and milk composition were not different (P &gt; 0.05) among treatments. Reducing the level of grain feeding from 32 to 23% of the diet with ammonia-treated corn silage resulted in a decrease (P &lt; 0.05) in total DM consumption, with no apparent effect on milk production or composition, at the levels of production observed in this study. There were significant (P &lt; 0.05) differences among treatments in molar percentages of acetic, propionic and butyric acids in rumen fluid. However, no differences were observed in milk fat or solid nonfat contents of the cows receiving the four experimental diets. Sheep digestion studies carried out on the above silages indicated apparent digestibilities of DM, CP and energy were lower (P &lt; 0.05) for the GL silage compared with the UC or AC silages (exp. 1), whereas there were no differences in apparent digestibilities of DM and energy of untreated corn silage or NPN-treated silages (exp. 2). However, crude protein digestion coefficient was lower (P &lt; 0.05) for untreated corn silage compared with the three NPN-treated corn silages. The present studies failed to show a beneficial effect of treating corn silage with an ammonia, molasses and mineral solution rather than urea on silage fermentation and animal performance. Key words: Dairy cows, sheep, nitrogen balance, ammonia treatment, corn silage

THE EFFECT OF LACTOBACTERIA INOCULATION ON CORN SILAGE PRESERVATION AND FEEDING VALUE FOR GROWING BEEF ANIMALS AND LAMBS

The effect of a commercial lactic acid bacteria inoculant, Sila-bac, on nutrient preservation and nutritional value of corn silage was evaluated. In this study, addition of inoculant to corn forage at a rate of 0.6 kg/tonne under good ensiling conditions did not improve (P &gt; 0.05) the preservation of dry matter, crude protein, acid detergent fiber or gross energy. Lactic acid concentrations and pH levels were similar, being 2.26 and 2.02; and 4.0 and 3.9 for the control and silages treated with L. plantarum, respectively. Inoculated silage fed with a grain-based supplement resulted in similar feed intakes, average daily gains and feed efficiencies in growing cattle as did the untreated corn silage fed with the same supplement. A digestibility and nitrogen balance study was conducted with eight growing lambs using a 4 × 4 double latin square design. Dietary treatments were (A) control corn silage plus barley-soybean meal (SMB) supplement, (b) inoculated silage plus barley-SBM supplement, (C) control silage plus barley-urea supplement and (D) control silage plus SBM-urea supplement. Actual dietary crude protein levels for these diets were 11.4, 11.8, 11.1 and 13.0% (100% DM basis). Dietary treatment did not influence nutrient digestion (P &gt; 0.05). Total rumen volatile fatty acid concentrations were depressed (P &lt; 0.05) for lambs fed the barley-urea supplement compared with those fed the high protein diet. A nitrogen balance study indicated no difference (P &gt; 0.05) in nitrogen retention for lambs receiving the control or the inoculated silage. Nitrogen retention was reduced (P &lt; 0.05) for lambs fed the barley-urea supplement along with corn silage. Key words: Lactobacillus inoculant, corn silage, beef cattle, sheep

Performance of High Producing Cows in Early Lactation Fed Protein of Varying Amounts, Sources, and Degradability

Eighty-four multiparous Holstein cows were fed a standard ration from 0 to 21 days postpartum and treatment rations from 22 to 91 days. Treatments varied in amount and source of protein, and only cows averaging at least 26kg milk daily from 8 to 21 days postpartum were used. Experimental variables included protein percent (11.3, 14.5, 17.5), ammoniated versus untreated corn silage, and heated (2.5h at 140°C in forced draft oven) versus normal soybean meal. Treatments by protein percent and supplement types were: 1) 11%, untreated silage, normal soy; 2) 14%, ammonia silage, heated soy; 3) 14%, untreated silage, heated soy; 4) 14%, untreated silage, normal soy; 5) 17%, ammonia silage, heated soy; 6) 17%, untreated silage, heated soy; and 7) 17%, untreated silage, normal soy.Milk production and dry matter intakes increased with increased protein. Differences were greater between 11 and 14% than between 14 and 17%. At 14 and 17% protein, cows fed normal soy produced less than those fed heated soy, but silage treatments were not different. The 17% ration containing ammonia silage and heated soy resulted in greatest milk production and highest income over feed costs. A combination of heated soybean meal to limit rumen degradabihty and ammonia in corn silage to furnish nonprotein nitrogen was the most productive and profitable of several rations compared for cows early in lactation.

PRESERVATION AND FEEDING VALUE FOR YEARLING STEERS OF WHOLE PLANT CORN ENSILED AT 28 AND 42% DRY MATTER WITH AND WITHOUT COLD FLOW AMMONIA TREATMENT

Corn was ensiled at both 28 and 40% dry matter (DM) with and without prior treatment of anhydrous ammonia using the cold-flow technique. Crude protein of treated silage was from 3.37 to 3.82% units higher than untreated silage. Lactic and acetic acid levels and pH were greater in treated than in untreated silage. As true protein-N was greater in ammonia-treated than untreated silage by between 0.09 and 0.23 percentage units, DM basis, and amine-N was correspondingly decreased, a significant inhibitory effect of ammonia on degradation of corn protein was observed. In a 112-day feeding trial utilizing 96 yearling Charolais × steers (mean weight, 300 kg), ammonia treatment of corn silage improved intake by 5% and gain by 6% over untreated corn silage supplemented with urea at feeding time. Intake of high dry matter corn was 5% greater than that of the lower dry matter corn, but gain was unaffected by corn dry matter. Ammonia treatment significantly improved aerobic stability of both corn silages. Effluent losses caused a 10% unit reduction in recovery of dry matter from 28% DM compared to 40% DM corn and ammonia treatment had no pronounced effect upon nutrient losses during ensiling. Significance of these results for effective preservation of corn silage and the relevance of protein degradation to the nutritive value of corn silage are discussed. Key words: Corn silage, yearling steers, dry matter level, analytical effects, amonia treatmeet

WET CAGE LAYER EXCRETA ADDED TO WHOLE PLANT CORN PRIOR TO ITS ENSILING AND EFFECT ON FOOD INTAKE AND UTILIZATION BY SHEEP

Corn ensiled with wet cage layer excreta was compared with untreated corn silage supplemented at feeding either with excreta or with soybean meal, in an intake assay and balance study using 25-kg lambs. Comparisons were made at both 10 and 20% inclusion levels (wt/wt, as-is basis) for excreta and to equivalent levels of crude protein from soybean meal, providing six treatments in all. Voluntary intake of dry matter for excreta-silage (mean – 56.8 g/kg0.75 body wt) was lower (P &lt; 0.05) than for corn silage supplemented with excreta (mean – 80.7 g/kg0.75 body wt) which was comparable to the value obtained for silage supplemented with soybean meal. Digestibilities of dry and organic matter were significantly lower (P &lt; 0.05) for all diets containing cage layer excreta compared to soybean meal. Nitrogen retention was lower (P &lt; 0.05) for sheep fed silage supplemented with excreta rather than soybean meal, but was not adversely affected for sheep fed corn ensiled with excreta. Relative to untreated silage, addition of excreta at ensiling caused extensive degradation of free amino acids to amines and ammonia but did not enhance proteolysis. Absolute levels of five amines were increased by 46% in 10% excreta-silage and by 64% in 20% excreta-silage compared to untreated silage (163 mg amine-N/100 g DM). Low intake of excreta-silage may be explained by the amine levels associated with them but it is quite probable that several other factors were involved. Key words: Animal waste, ruminant nutrition, nutritive value, ensiling, corn

Formic Acid Treatment of Wheat and Corn Silages

Thirty-two lactating cows were in each of two feeding trials to compare: 1) formic acid treated corn silage, 2) untreated corn silage, 3) formic acid treated wheat silage, and 4) untreated wheat silage. Formic acid (82%) was added at the silo at .5% of the green forage weight. In the milk production trials, dry matter intake, actual milk, fat-corrected milk, and body weight gain were higher for corn silage than for wheat silage, but there were no significant responses in milk production to the formic acid treatments. Treatment of corn and wheat silages with formic acid resulted in higher pH and residual sugar content but less production of lactic acid, acetic acid, and ammonia. Digestibility of silages was determined with 48 bred heifers. Dry matter intakes and digestibility coefficients for dry matter, crude protein, and acid detergent fiber were greater for corn silage than for wheat silage and for formic acid treated than for untreated silages.