Rumen characteristics and digestive kinetics of brown midrib corn silage were evaluated with five late-lactation (221 DIM +/- 20 d) multiparous cows fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannula. Dietary treatments were applied by using a single reversal design with two 21-d periods where either brown midrib (BM3) or isogenic (ISO) corn silage were included in a total mixed ration formulated to be 4...

Background: Fat supplementation in ruminants ration often adversely affect dry matter intake (DMI), rumen fermentation and nutrients digestion. Basal diet ingredients is an undeniable determinant of ruminants responses including performance, chewing behaviour and nutrient digestibility to fat supplementation. Objective: Current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Fish oil (FO) supplem...

The effects of a microbial inoculant (containing propionic and lactic acid bacteria) and formic acid onchemical composition, ruminal degradability of dry matter (DM) and nutrient digestibility of corn silage wereexamined. Whole-plant corn was ensiled for 60 days in plastic polyethylene bags, and three treatments werecompared, 1: control (no additive), 2: Propionibacterium acidipropionici plus L...

OBJECTIVE Effects of newly isolated Lactobacillus plantarum on the fermentation and chemical composition of fresh rice straw silage was evaluated in this study. METHODS Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from good crop silage were screened by growing them in MRS broth and a minimal medium with low carbohydrate content. Selected LAB (LAB 1821) were Gram-positive, rods, catalase negative, and were iden...

We conducted three experiments to determine the influence of mechanical processing on corn silage utilization by lactating dairy cows. Total mixed rations contained either unprocessed or processed corn silage harvested between 1/4 and 3/4 milk line. In trial 1, 12 multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated double switchback design with 21-d periods. Intake of dry matter (DM) was increa...

Three corn hybrids harvested as whole-plant silage were evaluated in three separate feeding trials with lactating dairy cows. In trial 1, 24 multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square with 28-d periods. Treatments were conventional (Pioneer 3563) and leafy (Mycogen TMF 106) corn silage hybrids, each planted at low (59,000 plants/ha) and high (79,000 plants/ha) plant ...

The two greatest silage problems are shrinkage (dry matter losses) and heating (aerobic spoilage). Therefore, one of the main aims of silage making is to reduce losses of dry matter during the preservation process. Dry matter losses occur during the three main stages of silage preservation namely the aerobic respiration stage after cutting, the anaerobic fermentation stage after sealing, and th...

With high dry matter yields of high quality forage, high soluble carbohydrate levels and a suitability for harvest by cutting and removing, the forage legume sulla (Hedysarum coronarium) has the potential to be an important silage crop in New Zealand. In three experiments the ensiling potential of sulla was compared with conventional pasture using a mini-silo system which allows for rapid evalu...