Effect of fodder grass species, wilting and ensiled amount in shopping plastic bags on silage quality

摘要

Lackofknowhowonwhichfoddergrassspecietoensile,handlingandprocessingbeforeensilingandamounttoensileinplasticbagsiloshavereducedtheadoptionofgrasssilagemakingtechnologiesamongthesmallholderfarmers.Anexperimentwasthereforeconductedtoassesseffectsoffoddergrassspecie,wiltingandamountensiledinplasticbagsilosonsilagequality.Elephant(Pennisetumpurpureum)andguatemalagrasses(Tripsacumlaxum)wereestablishedandharvestedwhentheywere1.5and1mtallrespectively.Oneportionofgrasswaswiltedfor24hoursandtheotherportionwasun-wiltedbeforeensiling.Eachportionwaschoppedinto4cmparticlelengthbeforeensiling.Thechoppedmaterialswereensiledeitherinportionsof5or10kginplasticbagsilos.Treatmentswereassignedtoacompletelyrandomizeddesigninfactorialarrangement(2x2x2)astwograsses(elephantandguatemalagrasses),twopre-ensilingtreatments(un-wiltedandwilted)andtwoensiledamounts(5and10kgs)withtworeplications.Thesilagewasopenedandsampledafter60days,analyzedfordrymatter(DM)losses,chemicalcomposition,fermentationandsensoricqualitiesandinvitroDMdigestibility.Elephantgrasssilagehadhighersensoricscores,crudeprotein(CP),ash,lacticacid,aceticacidandbulkdensitybutlowerDM,watersolublecarbohydrate(WSC),IVDMD,pH,NH3NandDMlossthanguatemalagrasssilage.Theguatemalasilagewasmoredigestiblethanelephantgrasssilage.Wiltedfoddergrassshowedhighersensoricscores,DM,CP,ash,WSC,pH,lacticacid,aceticacidandbulkdensitybutlowerNDF,NH3N,butyricacidandDMlossthanun-wiltedfoddergrass.Un-wiltedguatemalagrasssilagehadhigherDMthanwiltedelephantgrasssilage.The5kgsilageinplasticbagsiloshowedhigherbulkdensitythan10kgsilageinplasticbagsilo.Therewasnodifferencebetweenthetwoensiledamounts(5kgamp;10kg)intermsofappearance,smellandtexturescores,DM,CP,WSC,ash,NDF,IVDMD,pH,NH3N,lacticacid,aceticacid,butyricacidandDMlosses.Itwasthereforeconcludedthat,either5or10kgofwiltedelephantgrassensiledinshoppingplasticbagsilowasthemostoptimalcombinationtechnologytoachievehighsilagequalityundersmallholderfarmerconditions.