Effect of Pressing Density on Nutritional Qualities of Maize Silage

Abstract

A 6 x 2 x 3 factorial experiment was carried outto determine effects of pressing density (expressed as kg DM/m3) on nutritional qualities of maize silage made from green maize stover after havesting young corn with and without rice bran supplementation for different periods of preservation (30, 60, and 90 days). Silage quality was evaluated in terms of sensuos indicators (colour, smell, mould), chemical composition (dry matter, fiber, protein, ash, organic acids) and pH. Results showed that mechanical pressing allowed to make higher quality silage from green maize stover, compared to manual pressing. However, too high a density (>235.71 kg VCK/m3) did not further improve quality of the silage. Mechanical pressing also allowed making silage from green maize stover without any easily fermentable supplement.