EFFECT OF BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF CORN STOVER SILAGE ON CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, FERMENTATION CHARACTERISTICS AND RUMINAL DEGREDABILITY

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Animal Production Research Institute, Agric. Res. Center, Dokki, Egypt.

Abstract

Corn stover was taken after harvesting ears immediately, chopped and ensiled in plastic buckets for eight weeks untreated or treated with enzyme or bacteria inoculation. The rate of ruminal degradation of corn stover silage was determined by using three Friesian cows fitted with cannulate. The obtained results showed that the pH value and the concentrations of total volatile fatty acids and ammonia nitrogen were lower, while the concentrations of total organic acids and lactic acid were higher for enzymes or bacteria treated compared with untreated corn stover silage.
The contents of OM, CF, NDF, ADF, hemicellulose and cellulose were higher and ash content was lower for untreated compared with enzymes or bacteria treated corn stover silages. While, the DM, CP, EE, NFE and ADL were nearly similar.
Enzymes treated corn stover silage recorded significantly (P<0.05) the highest in situ ruminal disappearance, potential degradable fraction and the effective of degradability and the lowest undegradable fraction of DM, CP, CF and fiber fractions followed by bacteria treated silage, while untreated silage showed opposite trend. The rapid degradable fraction and degradation rate of DM, CP, CF and fiber fractions for enzyme and bacteria treated silage were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of control silage.
It could be concluded that enzymes and bacteria treated corn stover silage improved chemical composition, fermentation characteristics and in situ ruminal degradation. 

Keywords

Journal of Animal and Poultry Production
Volume 33, Issue 10
October 2008
Pages 7101-7110

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