Effect of re-ensiling on the quality of sorghum silage

Abstract

The commercialization of silage in many countries, including Brazil, has increased in recent years. Re-ensiling of previously ensiled forage occurs when silage is relocated from one farm to another, where it will be compacted and sealed again. During this process, silage is exposed to oxygen before being ensiled, which may affect its quality. We exposed sorghum silage to air during the anaerobic storage phase to simulate the transportation of silages between farms. Experimental treatments included silage exposed to air for 0 or 12 h, with or without the use of an inoculant containing a mixture of Lactobacillus plantarum and the propionic bacteria Propionibacterium acidipropionici (1 × 10 cfu/g of forage; Biomax corn, Lallemand, Saint-Simon, France), totaling 4 treatments: conventional silage, conventional silage with inoculant use, re-ensilage after exposure to air, and re-ensilage after exposure to air with use of an inoculant. The sorghum was stored in experimental silos containing about 9.0 kg of fresh forage per replicate. Treatments were tested in a factorial 2 × 2 design with 5 replicates each. Chemical composition, in vitro dry matter digestibility, fermentative characteristics, losses (due to gas, effluents, and total dry matter), microorganism counts, and aerobic stability of sorghum silage were evaluated. Dry matter content of sorghum before ensiling was 273.12 g/kg. The 12-h re-ensiling process increased the effluent loss of the silage when compared with conventional silage (456.42 vs. 201.19 g/kg of FM, respectively). In addition, re-ensiled silages presented lower concentrations of lactic acid and higher concentrations of propionic acid than the silages that had not been opened during storage. The aerobic stability of silage was not affected by the re-ensiling process and the use of inoculant. The use of inoculant increased the pH and loss of dry matter of the silages (4.23 vs. 3.98 and 14.05 vs. 7.82%, respectively) and therefore did not provide any benefits in this study.

Effects of the Application of Lactobacillus plantarum Inoculant and Potassium Sorbate on the Fermentation Quality, In Vitro Digestibility and Aerobic Stability of Total Mixed Ration Silage Based on Alfalfa Silage

“…The NH 3 -N content increased again after the aerobic microorganisms were inhibited. A similar result was reported by Anjos et al [27], who found relatively low NH 3 -N content in re-ensiled sorghum silage. This finding may provide a strategy to reduce NH 3 -N content in silage-based TMR silages.…”

Re‐ensiling effects on sorghum silage quality, methane emission and sheep efficiency in tropical climate

“…Most Brazilian farms that use re‐ensiling make adaptations in daily management to reduce the time between silo opening and re‐ensiling in order to reduce losses caused by aerobic deterioration. Some studies carried out in Brazil stated that the silage exposure time during re‐ensiling has been from 12 to 24 hr (Dos Anjos et al., 2018; Michel et al., 2016). However, these studies did not evaluate these exposure time effects on animal feed efficiency and, for this reason, the times of eight (less than 12 hr), 16 and 24 hr (between already evaluated times) were chosen.…”

Efeito do aditivo químico a base de ácido propiônico e ácido fórmico em silagens de milho: perfil fermentativo e desempenho de vacas leiteiras

“…A comercialização de silagens tem crescido rápida e consideravelmente no Brasil e no mundo, muitas das vezes por conta da variação climática, principalmente em épocas chuvosas, gerando insegurança ao produtor com relação ao potencial produtivo das plantas, outros fatores são a não mecanização ou mão de obra de pequenas propriedades, além de regiões com topografia desfavoráveis, o que dificulta o plantio em grande escala (dos Anjos et al, 2018). Do outro lado estão as propriedades com elevado potencial produtivo com sistemas de irrigação que proporcionam alta produção gerando ofertas de vendas de silagens .…”

“…Geralmente os produtores que realizam a compra de silagem armazenam o material reensilado por períodos curtos, geralmente 60 dias. Mas, já existem alguns produtores aproveitando o preço baixo em algumas épocas do ano e comprando para estocar até o ano seguinte (dos Anjos et al, 2018). O estudo conduzido por dos Anjos el a.l., 2018 revelou não ter alteração significativa na qualidade de silagens de sorgo reensilada, indicando não haver problemas com a extensão do período de armazenamento.…”

“…Alguns fatores têm contribuído para estimular o mercado de venda de silagem, tais como: área limitada para o cultivo da cultura do milho, perdas excessivas durante o armazenamento, limitações climáticas e topografia (de Lima et al, 2016). Em fazendas de porte menor a escassez de mão de obra e recursos financeiros limitados para aquisição dos equipamentos necessários para o cultivo e colheita da cultura, contribuem para a decisão de compra de forragem (dos Anjos et al, 2018). Desta forma, a aquisição de silagem e sua reensilagem se tornou prática comum realizada no Brasil (de Lima et al, 2016).…”