HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (3) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hancock, D.W. Articles by Collins, M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Hancock, D.W. Articles by Collins, M. Agricola Articles by Hancock, D.W. Articles by Collins, M. Related Collections Forage Management Microorganisms Alfalfa

FORAGE & GRAZINGLANDS

Forage Preservation Method Influences Alfalfa Nutritive Value and Feeding Characteristics

^a Dep. of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, 119 C.E. Barnhart Building, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546
^b Dep. of Plant and Soil Sciences, 113 Dorman Hall, Mississippi State, MS 39762

^* Corresponding author (dhancock{at}bae.uky.edu)

Forage preserved as baled silage can reduce dry matter and quality losses compared with hay systems if sufficient stretch wrap is layered to adequately exclude oxygen. The objectives of this study were to determine the optimum film amount for alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) preserved as round bale silage and to compare the forage quality and losses to that of dry hay. Two field trials compared alfalfa silages wrapped in two, four, or six layers of plastic film and hay controls. Bales wrapped with four or six layers had significantly lower temperatures than two layer treatments. In Trial 1 (July harvest), silage with two layers had higher post-storage neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and acid detergent lignin (ADL) concentrations than did silage prepared with either four or six layers. No consistent differences in forage quality parameters were observed among silage treatments in Trial 2 (September harvest). After 5 mo, concentrations of ADF, NDF, and ADL in the silages with four or six layers of film were lower than hay in both trials; however, crude protein (CP) did not differ across preservation treatments. In a preference trial, cows (Bos taurus) offered all treatments from Trial 2 preferred silages preserved with four or six layers of film to the two-layer treatment and hay control. We conclude that more than two layers of film are needed for consistent preservation of alfalfa round bale silage. The results demonstrated the potential advantage in quality for alfalfa baled silage compared with conventionally harvested and stored hay.

Abbreviations: ADF, acid detergent fiber • ADL, acid detergent lignin • CP, crude protein • DM, dry matter • NDF, neutral detergent fiber • NPN, nonprotein nitrogen • TS, total sugars

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Borreani and E. Tabacco New Oxygen Barrier Stretch Film Enhances Quality of Alfalfa Wrapped Silage Agron. J., June 16, 2008; 100(4): 942 - 948. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]