Effect of plant density on yield and quality of silage corn

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of plant density (68 000, 80 000 and 95 500 plant/ha) on the yield, fermentation quality, nutritional value, nitrate and nitrite of Keduo 8 silage corn. The results of this study showed that plant height, leaf and stem weight of low planting density treatment were the highest, but the fresh forage and crude protein yield was lower than other planting density treatments. The acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and ether fat (EE) significantly increased and the crude protein (CP) and watersoluble carbohydrates (WSC) decreased as the planting density increased. Ensiling corn reduced the nitrate and nitrite content of herbage and planting density did not affect the nitrate and nitrite content of herbage. Based on the yield, fermentation quality, nutrient content, nitrate and nitrite, 80 000 plant/ha was the better planting density.