Effects of silage time on silage quality of different maize varieties

To explore the effect of the silage time of maize (Zea mays) on silage quality in the Inner Mongolia Plateau (East and North China), we determined the most suitable maize varieties for silage and the optimal silage time to promote the development of animal husbandry. The fermentation quality and nutrient composition of ‘Xianfeng 38P05’, ‘Xianyu 1409’, ‘Haiyu 11’, and ‘Lihe 228’ and ‘A6565’ were selected for assessment after 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 days of silage. The results showed that after 30 days, the pH of each variety was lower than 4.00. During silage, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) in the lactic acid (LA) and acetic acid (AA) content between all varieties, but no significant differences (P > 0.05) in propionic acid (PA) content and ammonium nitrogen/total nitrogen ratio (AN/TN). The highest LA content was 6.18 mg·g⁻¹ fresh matter (FM) (‘Xianyu 1409’ after 45 days of silage). Each index was stable after 45 days of silage. After 90 days of silage, ‘Xianyu 1409’ had the highest dry matter (DM), ether extract (EE), and relative feeding value (RFV), which were 21.73% DM, 5.43% DM, and 170.36% DM, respectively. The CP loss rate and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content were 36.63% and 23.21% DM, respectively. In conclusion, the quality of maize silage reached a stable state after 45 days. ‘Xianyu 1409’ was selected as the raw material for silage in the Inner Mongolia Plateau (East and North China) as it showed the best silage effect.