Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons^™

An In Vitro Study On The Influence Of Residual Sugars On Aerobic Changes In Grass Silages, S. D. Martens, G. Pahlow, J. M. Greef

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

How do residual sugars in high dry matter grass silages influence microbial metabolism? To answer this question a simple laboratory method was developed using pH as main indicator for aerobic changes.

The Effects Of The Growth Stage And Inoculant On Fermentation And Aerobic Stability Of Whole-Plant Grain Sorghum Silage, E. Tabacco, G. Borreani

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is well adapted to environments with limited rainfall and low soil fertility. Today, on dry land, improved grain sorghum hybrids may be a valid alternative to maize silage and they may give DM yields and digestible energy that are comparable to maize, but at lower production costs (Legarto, 2000). Harvesting crops for silage at an early stage of maturity (low DM content) may result in silage with a higher acid content and low nutritional quality, while harvesting crops at a later stage of maturity may make the forage more difficult to chop and pack. …

Perennial Ryegrasses Bred For Contrasting Sugar Contents: Manipulating Fermentation And Aerobic Stability Using Wilting And Additives (1) (Eu Fp V -Project ‘Sweetgrass’), P. O'Kiely, H. Howard, G. Pahlow, R. J. Merry, F. P. O'Mara

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Higher concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) in silage offer ruminant nutrition and environmental attractions. Both successful field wilting and alternative silage additives provide the opportunity to manipulate silage WSC by modifying fermentation and/or improving aerobic stability. This experiment evaluated the fermentation and aerobic stability of silages made from perennial ryegrass cultivars of high or normal WSC genotype that differed in field wilting or additive use.

Perennial Ryegrasses Bred For Contrasting Sugar Contents: Manipulating Fermentation And Aerobic Stability Of Unwilted Silage Using Additives (2) (Eu-Project ‘Sweetgrass’), H. Howard, P. O'Kiely, G. Pahlow, F. P. O'Mara

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grass cultivars bred for elevated concentrations of water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) could have improved silage preservation but possibly disimproved aerobic stability. Additives can be used to manipulate fermentation and thereby increase silage WSC. They can also influence aerobic stability. This experiment evaluated the fermentation and aerobic stability of unwilted silages made from perennial ryegrass cultivars of high or normal WSC genotype that differed in additive use.

Perennial Ryegrasses Bred For Contrasting Sugar Contents: Manipulating Fermentation And Aerobic Stability Of Wilted Silage Using Additives (3) (Eu-Project ‘Sweetgrass’), H. Howard, P. O'Kiely, G. Pahlow, F. P. O'Mara

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Rapid field-drying of grass prior to successful ensilage restricts fermentation and can assist preservation, but can consequently result in silages that are prone to aerobic deterioration at feedout. Additives that directly (e.g. potassium sorbate or sodium benzoate) or indirectly (e.g. formic acid or Lactobacillus plantarum, via manipulation of fermentation) alter yeast activity at feedout could modify silage aerobic stability. This experiment evaluated the fermentation and aerobic stability of wilted silages made from perennial ryegrass cultivars of high or normal water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) genotype that differed in additive use.

The Effect Of Additive Containing Formic Acid On Quality And Aerobic Stability Of Silages Made Of Endophyte-Infected Green Forage, L. Podkówka, J. Mikołajczak, E. Staszak, P. Dorszewski

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Festuca species grasses are very often infected with endophytic fungi Neothypodium, that produce ergotic alkaloids, peramins etc. (Podkówka et al., 2003). Produced green forage can be dangerous to animals. The basic preservation method of such green forages is ensiling, especially with organic acids addition. Organic acids demonstrate destructive action on fungal organisms, as well as influence the quality and aerobic stability of forage. The objective of this study was to determine if the preservation of endophyte-infected green forage by ensiling with formic acid affects quality and aerobic stability of produced fodder.

Combining Corn N Recommendation Tools For An Improved Economical Optimal Nitrogen Rate Estimation, Curtis J. Ransom, Newell R. Kitchen, James J. Camberato, Paul R. Carter, Richard B. Ferguson, Fabián G. Fernández, David W. Franzen, Carrie A. M. Laboski, David Brenton Myers, Emerson D. Nafziger, John E. Sawyer, John F. Shanahan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Improving corn (Zea mays L.) nitrogen (N) rate fertilizer recommendation tools can improve farmers’ profits and mitigate N pollution. Numerous approaches have been tested to improve these tools, but to date improvements for predicting economically optimum N rate (EONR) have been modest. This work’s objective was to use ensemble learning to improve our estimation of EONR (for a single at-planting and split N application timing) by combining multiple corn N recommendation tools. The evaluation was conducted using 49 corn N response trials from eight states in the US Corn Belt and three growing seasons (2014–2016). Elastic net and decision …

De Novo Assembly And Comparative Analyses Of Mitochondrial Genomes In Piperales, Runxian Yu, Xudong Chen, Lingjie Long, Matthias Jost, Ran Zhao, Lumei Liu, Jeffrey P. Mower, Claude W. Depamphilis, Stefan Wanke, Yuannian Jiao

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

The mitochondrial genome of Liriodendron tulipifera exhibits many ancestral angiosperm features and a remarkably slow evolutionary rate, while mitochondrial genomes of other magnoliids remain yet to be characterized. We assembled nine new mitochondrial genomes, representing all genera of perianth-bearing Piperales, as well as for a member of the sister clade: three complete or nearly complete mitochondrial genomes from Aristolochiaceae and six additional draft assemblies including Thottea, Asaraceae, Lactoridaceae, and Hydnoraceae. For comparative purpose, a complete mitochondrial genome was assembled for Saururus, a member of the perianth-less Piperales. The average number of short repeats (50–99 bp) was much larger …

Effect Of Residual Sugar In High Sugar Grass Silages On Aerobic Stability, G. Pahlow, R. J. Merry, P. O'Kiely, T. M. Pauly, J. M. Greef

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

New varieties of Lolium perenne, bred for high sugar content, can contain up to 30% of water soluble carbohydrates (WSC). Only a fraction of such high contents are metabolised during a normal fermentation and the high residual sugar content (RSC) of these silages can improve the efficiency of use of nitrogen by ruminants. However, these RSC at opening for feed-out could be preferentially metabolised relative to fermentation products by all aerobically growing fungi and bacteria present on the forage. A high RSC thus can increase the risk of aerobic deterioration over that of extensively fermented silages, containing predominantly organic …

Recent Developments In Methods To Characterise The Chemical And Biological Parameters Of Grass Silage, R. S. Park, R. E. Agnew, M. G. Porter

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Chemical analysis of forages is expensive, time consuming, environmentally unfriendly and relates poorly to the feed value for production purposes.
2. In vivo characterisation of animal feed is not a feasible option in terms of cost and analysis time.
3. NIRS is a rapid, non destructive, environmentally friendly, multi-analytical technique which can estimate the nutritive value of the feed.
4. NIRS predictive equations developed on a master instrument can be transferred to local and international sites.
5. Future assessment of forages necessitates rapid, stable, instrumentation for ‘in field’ studies.

The Effect Of Chop Length And Additive On Silage Intake And Milk Production In Cows, V. Toivonen, T. Heikkilä

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Effects of reduced silage chop length on silage intake and milk production by dairy cows have been variable. Chopping of grass at harvest generally improves silage fermentation quality and consequently intake. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of chopping flail harvested silage ensiled with acid or biological additive prior to feeding on intake, milk yield and milk composition in dairy cows.

Evaluation Of Narrow-Row Forage Maize In Field-Scale Studies, W. J. Cox, J. H. Cherney, D. J. R. Cherney

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Some dairy producers in the north-eastern USA adopted narrow row (0.38 m) maize forage production in the mid-1990s because of its 5% dry matter (DM) yield advantage (Cox et al., 1998). These dairy producers, however, continued to plant forage maize at high plant densities (125,000 plants/ha) under high N fertility (225 kg N/ha), despite research that indicated that forage maize had optimum DM yields and forage quality when planted at the recommended 100,000 plants/ha under 175 kg/ha of N fertility (Cox & Cherney, 2001). We evaluated forage maize at 0.38 and 0.76 m (conventional) row spacing under recommended vs. …

The Feeding Value Of Conserved Whole-Crop Wheat And Forage Maize Relative To Grass Silage And Ad-Libitum Concentrates For Beef Cattle, K. Walsh, P. O'Kiely, F. O'Mara

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grass is the predominant forage ensiled in Ireland. However, the relatively modest yields achieved in a single harvest allied to variability in digestibility and ensilability (and thus in intake and animal performance response) and the likelihood of effluent production create disadvantages for grass silage compared to the potential of some alternative forage crops. Thus, alternative forages are worthy of consideration on many farms. The objectives of this study were to quantify the relative intake, digestibility and performance of beef cattle offered grass silage, forage maize silage and whole-crop wheat (fermented or urea-treated), rank these relative to cattle offered an ad …

Ensiling Safflower (Carthamus Tinctorius) As An Alternative Winter Forage Crop In Israel, Z. G. Weinberg, S. Y. Landau, A. Bat-Tal, Y. Chen, M. Gamburg, S. Brener, L. Devash

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Israel is a subtropical country in which the rainy season is in winter, with frequent droughts. Wheat is the major winter forage crop in Israel, along with legumes as rotation crops. Alternative forage crops are sought that would be suitable for semi-arid areas. Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) is usually grown as a source for oil and pigments but spineless cultivars could be used as fodder. Leshem et al. (2001) reported DM yields up to 22 t/ha and high DM digestibility when used for heifers. When safflower silage substituted maize and wheat silage in the rations of lactating cows, …

Effects Of Two Different Chopping Lengths Of Maize Silage On Silage Quality And Dairy Performance, K. Mahlkow, J. Thaysen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Maize silage harvested at dough stage contains less fibre structure than grass silage. Due to higher proportions of maize silage in dairy rations and due to the fact that with longer chopping length of maize silage the contribution of fibre structure increases. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of two chopping lengths in the silage on animal performance with respect to feed intake, milk yields and ingredients as well as physiological effects of digestion.

Effect Of Additives At Harvest On The Digestibility In Lambs Of Whole Crop Barley Or Wheat Silage, S. Muhonen, I. Olsson, P. Lingvall

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

There are very few published articles about how silage additives affect digestibility of whole crop silage. In this experiment, male lambs were given whole crop barley or wheat silage harvested at dough stage with a number of different acid-based and bacterial additives.

Use Of Silage Additives In Ensiling Of Whole-Crop Barley And Wheat - A Comparison Of Round Big Bales And Precision Chopped Silages, M. Knický, P. Lingvall

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An increasing use of whole-crop cereals, as supplementary feed, has increased interest in development of efficient ways of preserving these forages to achieve a high hygienic quality. It is known that ensiling of whole-cereals often results in silages with high concentrations of butyric acid (Weissbach & Haacker, 1988). Furthermore, problems with poor aerobic stability still persist despite the use of lactic acid bacteria (Filya et al., 2000). Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of different types of additive mixtures on the fermentation process and aerobic stability of precision chopped and baled silages.

An Innovative Approach To Improve Oil Production And Quality Of Mustard (Brassica Juncea L.) With Multi-Nutrient-Rich Polyhalite, Biswajit Pramanick, B.S. Mahapatra, Debarati Datta, Prithwiraj Dey, S.P. Singh, Ajay Kumar, Bappa Paramanik, Neeraj Awasthi

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Polyhalite popularly known as POLY4 is a multi-nutrient fertiliser containing K, S, Mg, Ca, and micronutrients. POLY4 has a low carbon footprint, is certified for organic agriculture, and has the potential to improve crop productivity and quality attributes Indian mustard which often faces challenges due to imbalanced nutrition supplied in the current fertilisation schedule. The hypothesis of the study was that the multi-nutrient fartiliser POLY4 can ensure balanced nutrition for Indian mustard. Considering this, a field experiment was conducted during the winter seasons of 2017–18 and 2018–19 to evaluate the effect of POLY4 on Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) …

Yield And Composition Of Forage Maize: Interaction Of Harvest Date, Cultivar And Plastic Mulch, E. M. Little, P. O'Kiely, J. C. Crowley, G. P. Keane

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage maize is established as a crop with the potential to consistently supply high yields of quality forage on some Irish farms. Despite its success, considerable variability in crop yield, quality and maturity at harvest can exist from year to year. These reflect differing prevailing weather conditions, particularly temperature during May to September. The use of plastic mulch has increased the likelihood of achieving higher yields of high quality crops and has permitted maize production to extend into areas once considered unsuitable for the crop. In this experiment two cultivars of differing maturity were grown with or without plastic mulch …

Fermentation Characteristics Of Maize/Sesbania Bi-Crop Silage, M. Kondo, J. Yanagisawa, K. Kita, H. Yokota

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Maize is one of the main forages for dairy production and is a suitable material for silage making because of high fermentable carbohydrates, high counts of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and low buffering capacity (BC) (Nishino et al. 2003; McDonald et al. 1991). Whole crop maize silage is high in energy but low in crude protein (CP). On the other hand, legumes are high in CP but difficult to conserve because of their low water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and high BC. It might be possible that maize/legume bi-crop silage compensate for their negative points. Sesbania is a legume originated …