The fates of hydrophobic zein proteins, which encapsulate corn starch to create vitreous endosperm, have not been investigated in high-moisture corn (HMC). To assess influences of ensiling time and inoculation on zein proteins in HMC, quadruplicate samples of 2 random corn hybrids (A and B), containing 25.7 and 29.3% moisture, were ground, inoculated with (I) or without 600,000 cfu/g of Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 (Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Milwaukee, WI), and ensiled for 0, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 d. Nutrient composition [crude protein (CP), starch, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber], fermentation (pH, lactate, and acetate), and protein degradation markers (buffer-soluble CP, isopropanol-soluble CP, and NH3-N) were evaluated. At 0 and 240 d, α, γ, δ, and β zein subunits were profiled using HPLC. Data were evaluated as a split-split plot using the PROC MIXED procedures of SAS. Ensiling time and inoculation decreased pH, and altered lactate and acetate contents of HMC. Lactate and acetate contents of A, AI, B, and BI at 240 d were 0. 40, 0.32, 1.11, 0.73, and 0, 0.35, 0.30, and 0.87% of DM, respectively. Buffer-soluble CP in HMC increased from 1.5 to 2.0% of DM at 0 d to >4.0% of DM at 240 d. Inoculation had no effect on buffersoluble CP but increased NH3-N content of HMC. Corn A contained more isopropanol-soluble CP than did corn B and peak areas for 6 α, and all γ and δ zein regions were greater for corn A. Ensiling (0 vs. 240 d) decreased all zein subunits with the exception of 2 α and 1 δ subunit. Ensiling decreased (42.2-73.2%) γ zeins, which are primarily responsible for cross-linking in the starch-protein matrix. Despite altering lactate and acetate contents, inoculation had no effect on degrading hydrophobic zein proteins in HMC. Data suggest that hydrophobic zein proteins in the starch-protein matrix of HMC are degraded by proteolytic activity over an extended ensiling time. RightsWorks produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted. ABSTRACTThe fates of hydrophobic zein proteins, which encapsulate corn starch to create vitreous endosperm, have not been investigated in high-moisture corn (HMC). To assess influences of ensiling time and inoculation on zein proteins in HMC, quadruplicate samples of 2 random corn hybrids (A and B), containing 25.7 and 29.3% moisture, were ground, inoculated with (I) or without 600,000 cfu/g of Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 (Lallemand Animal Nutrition, Milwaukee, WI), and ensiled for 0, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 d. Nutrient composition [crude protein (CP), starch, acid detergent fiber, and neutral detergent fiber], fermentation (pH, lactate, and acetate), and protein degradation markers (buffersoluble CP, isopropanol-soluble CP, and NH 3 -N) were evaluated. At 0 and 240 d, α, γ, δ, and β zein subunits were profiled using HPLC. Data were evaluated as a split-split plot using the PROC MIXED procedures of SAS. Ensiling time and inoculat...

Throughout the Southern Great Plains, wheat is managed frequently as a dual-purpose crop, but this production paradigm is not necessarily applicable throughout other regions of the United States, and a wider array of management options can be considered for forage-only uses of cereal grains. Our objectives were to assess the fall-growth potential of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack), and oat (Avena sativa L.) cultivars in Wisconsin, and then to further evaluate and compare the fiber composition and TDN of these fall-grown forages. For 2006, yields of DM for all cultivars increased quadratically (P < or = 0.048) over fall harvest dates, reaching a maximum of 3,967 kg/ha for Ogle oat. All oat cultivars exhibited stem elongation and also displayed a collective 2 to 1 yield advantage over vegetative wheat cultivars on the final (October 30) harvest date. Growing conditions were more favorable during 2007, and yields were improved for all cultivars. Yields of DM for all cultivars increased quadratically (P < or = 0.021) across harvest dates, and oat cultivars maintained the identical 2 to 1 yield advantage over wheat cultivars (6,275 vs. 3,203 kg/ha) that was observed for 2006. Triticale exhibited yields intermediate between oat and wheat during both years. Concentrations of NDF increased quadratically (P < or = 0.012) across harvest dates for all cultivars during both years of the experiment; however, these increases occurred primarily between mid September and early October with limited responses thereafter. Oat and triticale cultivars had greater (P < 0.001) concentrations of NDF than wheat cultivars on 5 of 6 harvest dates throughout the experiment. Estimates of TDN exhibited various polynomial responses to harvest date during 2006, but the magnitude of these changes was relatively small. During 2007, TDN declined linearly (P < or = 0.038) for grain-type oat, but no relationship with harvest date was observed for other cultivars (P > or = 0.072), including forage-type oat. Although TDN estimates generally were relatively static across harvest dates, the concentrations of truly digestible components constituting the total TDN pool were quite fluid. Generally, reductions of truly digestible CP were offset by increases in truly digestible nonfiber carbohydrate, truly digestible fiber, or both. The relatively stable energy densities for cereal-grain cultivars observed across harvest dates suggest that a broad window of opportunity exists for usage, including a single harvest as silage.

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The use of triticale (X Triticosecale Wittmack) in dairy-cropping systems has expanded greatly in recent years, partly to improve land stewardship by providing winter ground cover. Our objective was to establish relationships relating indices of nutritive value with growth stage or accumulated growing degree days >5°C for triticale forages grown in central Wisconsin. Replicated 3.7-m × 9.1-m plots were established following removal of corn for silage (fall 2015) and soybeans (fall 2016) and then harvested at various growth stages the following spring. Plants were assigned a numerical growth stage based on a linear staging system suitable for use as an independent regression variable. Response variables [e.g., dry matter (DM) yield, indices of nutritive value, and parameters from in vitro DM disappearance kinetics] were regressed on growth stage and growing degree days using linear, quadratic, cubic, or quartic models. For spring 2016, the mean DM yield at the boot stage (3,804 kg of DM/ha) was only 30% of that observed at the soft dough stage of growth (12,642 kg of DM/ha). Although yields were reduced during spring 2017, primarily due to spring flooding, the relationship between respective yields at these growth stages was similar (1,453 vs. 5,399 kg of DM/ha). Regressions of DM yield (kg/ha) on growth stage for 2016 were explained by a cubic model (Y = 0.0663x - 9.44x + 595x - 9,810) compared with a simple linear response for 2017 (Y = 103x - 3,024); in both cases, coefficients of determination were very high (R ≥ 0.934). Many nutritional and in vitro DM disappearance characteristics were affected by the juxtaposition and balance of 2 generally competing factors: (1) increased concentrations of structural plant fiber coupled with concurrent lignification as plants matured and (2) the accumulation of highly digestible carbohydrate during seed head development. A comparison of respective energy yields between the boot and soft dough stages of growth for 2016 (2,488 vs. 8,141 kg of total digestible nutrients/ha) and 2017 (1,033 vs. 3,520 kg of total digestible nutrients/ha) suggests that yields of energy are greater at soft dough stage and are mostly driven by DM yield. An informed harvest management decision for lactating cows may still favor a boot-stage harvest because of superior nutritional characteristics, a need to plant double-cropped corn expeditiously, or both. Harvest timing of triticale forages for other livestock classes would appear to be more flexible, but prioritizing a subsequent double crop may reduce the effects on DM yield to a secondary consideration.