The compaction effect of nutritional quality of whole plant corn silage

In this study, the whole plant corn (Zea mays) silage nutritional quality at different compactions was analyzed to determine the appropriate compaction of silage. The treatments used Xinsiyu 10 for silage materials with five compaction degrees (350, 400, 500, 600 and 700 kg·m-3). Sampling and determination of the DM, CP, NDF, ADF, WSC and RFV of silages were done on the 1 st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 15th, 30th and 50th day after ensiling. Dynamic monitoring of the temperature change of each silage treatment was also measured after opening silo. Results indicated that DM, CP, NDF, ADF, and WSC content and pH value from compaction degree of corn silage decreased significantly than before ensiling (P<0.05). Silage time had a significant effect on above indicators (P<0.01). After opening silo, 600 kg·m-3 had the lowest pH value, while the content of CP was the highest; DM, WSC and RFV of 700 kg·m-3 treatment was the highest, NDF and ADF was the lowest. The stable time after exposure to oxygen of treatment 600 kg·m-3 was significantly higher than other treatments (P<0.05), reaching 100 h. At the same time, there was a monotonic increasing trend of oxygen exposure time and temperature, and the correlation was significant (P<0.05). With the increasing of charge degree range (350~600 kg·m-3), the fermentation quality of the silage correspondingly increased. When compaction degree reaching to 600 kg·m-3, the quality did not change significantly, suggesting that 600 kg·m-3 is the best compaction.