INFLUENCE OF MOISTURE CONCENTRATION AT BALING ON STORAGE CHARACTERISTICS OF BERMUDAGRASS HAY

摘要

Concentrations of moisture > 20% are known to cause spontaneous heating and associated deleterious effects on forage nutritive value in hay. Alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) has been thoroughly studied in this respect, but relatively little is known aboutthese relationships in warm season grasses. 'Greenfield' bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] was packaged in conventional rectangular bales at 21.9, 26.5, and 30.2% moisture (LM, MM, and HM, respectively). The MM and HM bales accumulated more (P< 0.05) heating degree days >95 F and exhibited greater (P < 0.05) mold development than the LM bales. Dry matter recovery was greater (P < 0.05) for LM and MM bales than for HM bales.