Production technology and quality of corn silage for feeding dairy cattle in Southern Brazil

Abstract

-The objective of this study was to evaluate the production practices and use of corn silage in dairy farms in Southern Brazil, and to evaluate their impact on the nutritional quality and occurrence of mycotoxins. The data were collected by application of questionnaires among the producers, and by analysis of silage samples. The variables were subjected to factorial analysis of data reduction through the principal components method, thus obtaining 84.12% of the variance associated with the location, corn hybrid, crop production management, and inoculant used, characterizing the farms into four distinct groups. In farms from Paraná, the silage production technologies were more associated with implantation and crop management processes, and investment in equipment related to ensilage/silo feed-out was less frequent. Farms of Rio Grande do Sul showed high adoption of outsourced services, self-propelled machines, bunker silos, double-sided plastic film, and inoculant to control aerobic deterioration, and the silages showed higher levels of propionic acid (7.95 g/kg DM), and lower concentrations of aflatoxins (7.7 ppb) and total mycotoxins (26.58 ppb). The farms evaluated in Southern Brazil have good production efficiency and corn silages with excellent quality, regardless of their production characteristics.

Sealing type effect on corn silage quality in bunker silos

“…Such goal can be achieved with plastic tarpaulins of high oxygen impermeability, refractoriness to solar rays, and good mechanical properties, and with double sealing systems, in which other polyethylene types actas oxygen barriers (BORREANI et al, 2007;BORREANI & TABACCO, 2014;SILVA et al, 2015). Few published studies have tested the effect of double sealing on bunker silos.…”

“…This composition depends on intrinsic factors of the crop and/or plant, such as hybrid characteristics, sowing density, fertilization level, growth rate, moisture degree, and physiological maturity at harvest. Moreover, characteristics related to the ensilage process are also important, such as particle size, specific storage mass and type of silage sealing material (BORREANI et al, 2007;SILVA et al, 2015), besides silage filling time, grain processing efficiency, process hygiene and fermentation time (NEUMANN et al, 2014).…”

Chemical composition of corn silage produced by scientific studies in Brazil - A meta-analysis

“…Some of the main reasons that corn silage is used include its high capacity for dry matter production, easy harvesting, suitability for silo fermentation, digestible neutral detergent fiber content, and high concentration of net energy. These characteristics allow producers to reduce the use of feed concentrates, without impairing the physiology and performance of the animals (SILVA et al, 2015). In addition, the characteristics of corn, coupled with the meteorological, extension and territorial soil conditions of Brazil, have also spurred several research groups to investigate means for improving corn cultivation, as well as for improving the production and use of silage.…”

Altura De Corte E Adição De Inoculante Enzimo-Bacteriano Na Composição Químico-Bromatológica E Digestibilidade De Silagens De Milho Avaliada Em Ovinos

“…No Brasil, visando acelerar o processo fermentativo e maior eficiência na preservação das silagens, o uso de inoculantes microbianos tem sido adotado em muitas propriedades rurais (3,4) . Dentre as bactérias mais utilizadas como inoculantes para silagens, destacam-se as heteroláticas Lactobacillus plantarum, L. acidophilus, Pediococcus acidilactici, P. pentacaceus e Enterococcus faecium, produtoras de ácido lático a partir da fermentação de açúcares simples, resultando em perdas mínimas de energia e matéria seca (5) .…”