The effect of wilting and sodium benzoate based additive on silage quality of grass and legume-grass mixture crop
1997
Laettemaee, P. | Rausberg, P. (Estonian Agricultural Univ., Tartu (Estonia))
The aim of the present investigation was to improve silage quality by using silage additive, based on sodium benzoate and hexamine or by wilting of the herbage. Six forage stands were used in this study. Four stands consisted of pure grasses and two stands were legume-grass mixtures composed as follows: cocksfoot, bromegrass, reed canarygrass, timothy, lucerne-grass mixture and white clover-grass mixture. For each forage stand three cutting frequencies were applied, i.e. 4-, 3- and 2-cuts. The following silage treatments were applied: (a) untreated, (b) benzoate/hexamine (Superben) treated at an active matter of 1600/700 g ton (-1) fresh matter (FM) and (c) crop wilted in the field for 22-2224 hours, without September. Application of Superben to direct cut herbage halved the concentration of butyric acid when compared with untreated herbage (P0.0001). Wilting doubled the silage DM concentration. The fermentation pattern of the legume-grass mixture silage was somewhat superior to that of the grasses. The mixed silage had a higher nutritive value and slightly lower butyric acid, acetic acid and ammonia concentrations at a significance level of P0.05
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