Effects of drying time on silage quality of Medicago sativa

Effects of drying time on quality of silages of three different Medicago sativa cultivators were studied in this study. M.sativa in initial flowering stage which was fielded for 2 h, 4 h, and 6 h, was mixed with additives and ensiled. Then, the quality of alfalfa silages were estimated by sensory evaluation and analysis. The results showed that: Drying for 4～6 h can improve the quality of silages; Drying for 6 h and 2 h can significantly decrease the content of butyric acid and ammonia nitrogen (NH3N) of silages; Crude protein (PC) in silages can be remained well when M.sativa was dried for 4 h; Adding additives can significantly decrease the content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in silages. In a word, when M.sativa was dried for 4～6 h, the silages of three cultivators are the best.