maize silage

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: Albrecht K.A., Ochsner T.E., Schwab A.R. and Jokela W.E.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Maize (Zea mays L.) silage has become an increasingly important forage crop in high output dairy farming systems in Europe and North America because of its high energy density, relatively uniform nutritive value, and efficiency of production. But due to lack of surface residue and organic matter inputs and high nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs, maize silage production is one of the most demanding cropping systems imposed on our soil and water resources. We investigated intercropping maize with the persistent rhizomatous legume, Caucasian clover (Trifolium ambiguum M. Bieb.), as a means to provide continuous living groundcover to minimize nitrate leaching, nutrient runoff and soil erosion. Maize was sown into existing stands of Caucasian clover that had been suppressed to reduce competition, and into areas with no clover. Total nitrate-N leached was reduced by 74% relative to the control monocrop maize under intercropped maize silage. On loess soils with 8 to 15% slope, during simulated, short, heavy rainstorms, Caucasian clover intercrop reduced water runoff by 50%, soil loss by 77%, and P and N losses by 80% relative to monocrop maize. Intercropping maize with Caucasian clover can eliminate N-fertilizer inputs and greatly reduce negative environmental impacts associated with maize silage production.

Bijeenkomst: EGF2015
Auteur: De Boever J.L., Dupon E., De Vliegher A., De Campeneere S. and Latré J.
ISBN: 978-9090-289-61-8
Jaar van uitgifte: 2015
Producttype: Paper
Pioneer® has patented a silage inoculant containing Lactobacillus strains of which L. buchneri produces ferulate esterase. The product is claimed to improve silage quality and aerobic stability as well as cell wall digestibility. The effect of the inoculant added to grass and whole-plant maize was studied using micro-silos during two years. Each year, grass was mown at 4 growth stages and maize was harvested at 2 maturity stages. Compared to the grass silage without additive, in the treated silage more sugars were fermented to lactic and acetic acid, resulting in a lower pH, less dry matter (DM) and protein degradation and a better aerobic stability. The inoculant lowered neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content of the grass silage from the early cuts, but not that from the late cuts. In situ rumen degradability of NDF (NDFD) was not affected, whereas in vitro organic matter digestibility tended to be better for the treated grass silage. In the early harvested maize, treatment resulted in less lactic and more acetic acid, a higher pH and higher DM-losses; the aerobic stability was better. Silage quality of the late-harvested maize was not affected. The additive did not affect chemical composition nor NDFD of the maize silage. It appears that the ferulate esterase in the inoculant is only able to affect less-lignified cell walls.