Green Fodder-Silage

Maize silage is basic forage for ruminants in many regions of the world and its importance is described by many researchers. The fiber content of the silage is converted into volatile fatty acids during digestion that are essential for milk production. In recent decades, both breeders and producers aimed to maximize the fresh and dry matter yield of silage maize and increasing the proportion of the year in the total plant dry matter.

Good silage maize hybrids are considered to have the same quality traits as grain maize hybrids. Many farmers still choose hybrids based on the grain yield, but this is not related to silage quality. Silage maize hybrids are certified based on fresh and dry matter yield and the proportion of the year. The metabolizable energy content of the forage is now also tested during the registration process. Testing chemical quality and digestibility is becoming more frequent, but is still not common practice.

Storing silage

Silage must be firmly packed to minimize the oxygen content, lest it spoil.

Silage goes through four major stages in a silo:

• Presealing, which, after the first few days after filling a silo, enables some respiration and some dry matter (DM) loss, but stops.

• Fermentation, which occurs over a few weeks. pH drops, and there is more DM loss, but hemicellulose is broken down; aerobic respiration stops.

• Infiltration, which enables some oxygen infiltration, allowing for limited microbial respiration. Available carbohydrates (CHOs) are lost as heat and gas.

• Emptying, which exposes surface, causing additional loss; rate of loss increases