Forage conservation as influenced by chemical and physical properties of the crop
1991
Podkowka, W. (Agricultural University of Bydgoszcz (Poland). Inst. of Animal Nutrition) | Potkanski, A.
After surveying recent publications on the effect of chemical and physical factors on forage ensilability, the author determined: 1. Morphological characteristics, mainly the content of structural parts and leaf/stem ratio, are the decisive factors for proper selection of forages for hay making and dehydration. 2. The most important requirement of forages intended for ensiling is its "ensilability". 3. Forage ensilability depends primarily on: a. sugar content, b. content of buffering substances, c. level of dry matter (DM). 4. Sugar content and buffering capacity depend on plant species, stage of vegetation, nitrogen fertilization, season, part of day, weather etc. 5. Sugar/buffering capacity ratio is one of the criteria for assessing forage ensilability. 6.The required level of DM in the forage for ensiling can be determined on the basis of a model from Weissbach et al. 7. To obtain silage of good quality, control of the fermentation process is recommended. 8. Ensiling technology has a strong influence on the quality of the produced silage. 9. To obtain good quality silage which would meet the requirements of high yielding animals, it is essential to: a. ensile forages when they have reached their "ensiling maturity" and b. to apply proper ensiling technology. 10. Both "biology and technology" are equally important in the process of production of good quality conserved feeds.
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