Effect of Hybrid Type on Fermentation and Nutritional Parameters of Whole Plant Corn Silage

• Main Authors: Yue Liu, Guogen Wang, Hao Wu, Qingxiang Meng, Muhammad Zahoor Khan, Zhenming Zhou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: hybrid type; dual-purpose corn; silage-specific corn; nutritive value; yield prediction and energy value; in situ digestibility
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/6/1587

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of hybrid type on the fermentation and nutritional parameters of whole-plant corn silage (dual-purpose and silage-specific corn). For this purpose, the two corn hybrid types were harvested at the one-half to three-fourths milk line and ensiled in fermentation bags (50 × 80 cm) for 60 day. Our results demonstrated that the ratio of lactic acid to acetic acid (<i>p</i> = 0.004), propionic acid (<i>p</i> < 0.001), Flieg point (<i>p</i> < 0.001), ether extract (<i>p</i> = 0.039), starch (<i>p</i> < 0.001), milk-per-ton index (<i>p</i> < 0.005), net energy for lactation (<i>p</i> = 0.003), total digestible nutrients (<i>p</i> < 0.001), neutral detergent soluble fiber (<i>p</i> =0.04), and in situ dry matter digestibility (TDMD_is) (<i>p</i> < 0.001) were higher in dual-purpose corn silage, while the pH (<i>p</i> = 0.014), acetic acid (<i>p</i> = 0.007), the ratio of ammonia nitrogen to total nitrogen (<i>p</i> = 0.045), neutral detergent fiber (<i>p</i> < 0.001), acid detergent fiber (<i>p</i> < 0.001), acid detergent lignin (<i>p</i> < 0.001), dry matter yield per ha (<i>p</i> < 0.001), milk-per-acre index (<i>p</i> = 0.003), available neutral detergent fiber (<i>p</i> < 0.001), and unavailable neutral detergent fiber (<i>p</i> < 0.001) were higher in silage-specific corn silage. Based on our analysis, we concluded that under favourable production conditions for whole-plant corn silage, the nutritive value per unit was higher in dual-purpose corn while biomass yield and nutrient value per ha were higher in silage-specific corn.