The Quality, Intake, and Digestibility of Virginia Fanpetals (<i>Sida</i> <i>hermaphrodita</i> L. Rusby) Silage Produced under Different Technologies and Its Effect on the Performance of Young Cattle
Cezary Purwin | Maciej Starczewski | Marta Borsuk | Zenon Nogalski | Paulina M. Opyd | Magdalena Mazur-Kuśnirek | Ireneusz Białobrzewski
Different harvesting and preservation methods of Virginia fanpetals herbage were evaluated, based on the chemical composition and digestible organic matter (OM) content (D-value) of silage fed to adult sheep, the intake and digestibility of silage, and the performance of young cattle. The following harvesting methods were compared: direct-cut harvesting with a precision-cut forage harvester (DC), harvesting after field wilting with a precision-cut forage harvester (WC) or a round baler (WRB). The silage was fed for 81 days to 24 Polish Holstein Friesian (HF) bulls, as the sole forage supplemented with 3.0 kg of concentrate/head/day. Harvesting methods affected the density (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content (<i>p</i> = 0.047). Differences were found among the groups in the digestibility coefficients of OM (DC-73.7, WC-78.9, WRB-79.9%) (<i>p</i> = 0.007), and crude protein (CP) (69.8%, 77.1%, 78.5%, respectively) (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Dry matter intake (DMI) reached 8.38 kg (DC), 8.74 kg (WC) and 7.21 kg (WRB). Live weight gain (LWG) differed (<i>p</i> < 0.001) among groups (0.939, 1.033, 0.813 kg/day, respectively). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) tended to improve in WC (8.66 kg DMI/kg LWG) (<i>p</i> = 0.08). The highest-quality silage was produced in group WC, and it could be successfully fed to growing bulls as the sole forage.
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