Nutritional Quality and In Vitro Rumen Fermentation Characteristics of Silage Prepared with Lucerne, Sweet Maize Stalk, and Their Mixtures

Musen Wang, Fujin Zhang, Xinxin Zhang, Ying Yun, Lei Wang and Zhu Yu
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Musen Wang: College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Fujin Zhang: Institute of Resources Environment and Detection Technology, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural & Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
Xinxin Zhang: Institute of Resources Environment and Detection Technology, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural & Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
Ying Yun: Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot 010010, China
Lei Wang: College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Zhu Yu: College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-10

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the pH, chemical composition, minerals, vitamins, and in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics of silage prepared with lucerne, sweet maize stalk (MS), and their mixtures. Freshly chopped lucerne and MS were combined in ratios of 100:0 (M0, control), 80:20 (M20), 60:40 (M40), 40:60 (M60), 20:80 (M80), and 0:100 (M100) on a fresh matter basis. Each treatment was prepared in triplicate, and a total of eighteen silos were fermented for 65 days. After 65 days of fermentation, the pH values in M0, M20, M40, M60, M80, and M100 silages were 5.47, 4.84, 4.23, 4.13, 3.79, and 3.61, respectively. As the MS proportion in the mixtures increased, silage K, Ca, P, Na, Fe, and Cu concentrations linearly decreased ( p < 0.001) and so did vitamins B 5 and K 1 and α-tocopherol. In vitro rumen dry matter and organic matter degradability, pH, ammonia, total volatile fatty acid, and gas production linearly decreased ( p < 0.01), while neutral detergent fiber concentration linearly increased ( p < 0.001), with increasing proportion of MS. The in vitro dry matter and organic matter degradability rapidly decreased when the MS percentage was ≥60%. In conclusion, the M40 silage is the most suitable for livestock utilization in local forage production considering the balance of silage pH, nutritional quality, and in vitro ruminal fermentation characteristics.

Keywords: Medicago sativa; agricultural by-product; co-ensiling; vitamins; mineral elements; in vitro rumen fermentation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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