Effect of Moisture Content, Chopping, and Processing on Silage Effluent
2002
Savoie, P. | Amyot, A. | Thériault, R.
Silage effluent was collected from 5.2–L mini–silos over a 35–day period after ensiling. In a first experiment, fresh timothy was flail chopped and ensiled without wilting (86% moisture), after a 1–mm simulated rainfall (87% moisture), after a 24–h wilting period (80% moisture), and after a 48–h wilting period (65% moisture). After filling with 480 kPa of compaction pressure, effluent collected over 35 days was 22.4% of original mass for unwilted silage, 28.0% for rained–on silage, 1.4% for the 24–h wilt, and 0% for the 48–h wilt. In a second experiment, alfalfa was either unwilted (83.5% moisture) or wilted (80% moisture), and chopped or unchopped. Chopping increased total effluent, especially in the unwilted alfalfa (15.6% vs. 11.2%). In a third experiment, corn was harvested at two maturity stages (76% or 73% moisture), chopped once or twice, and processed or not processed. Processing increased the amount of effluent in the case of less mature corn at 76% moisture and double–chopped at 11 mm (2.9% vs. 1.4% effluent without processing). The dry matter content (DM) of timothy and alfalfa effluents ranged between 4% and 7%; the DM of corn silage effluent was more concentrated (8% to 11%). Corn silage effluent was very acidic, especially in the first week of flow (average pH of 2.5). The content of soluble sugars in corn silage effluent was 50% of DM in the first week of flow and declined to 22% of DM in subsequent weeks, still considerably higher than the soluble sugar content of alfalfa effluent (9%) or timothy effluent (11%).
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