Cell wall chemical characteristics of whole‐crop cereal silages harvested at three maturity stages

Abstract

BackgroundIn cooler climates such as found in Scandinavian countries cereals are important feedstuffs for ruminants often ensiled as whole‐crop cereal silages (WCCS) to preserve nutrients. Animal performance varies with the type of cereal forage and stage of cereal development being ensiled. Cell wall isolation and analysis was undertaken to determine differences among cereal silages harvested at different stages of maturity.ResultsA set of 27 WCCS samples of barley, wheat and oats harvested at heading, early milk, and dough stages of maturity were analyzed for cell wall (CW) composition and compared to previous NDF analyses. Total CW concentrations of the WCCS were higher than the NDF concentration. The lignin concentration was higher (P < 0.001) in oats (111 g kg−1 DM) than in barley (88 g kg−1 DM) and wheat (91 g kg−1 DM). Ferulates (ester and ether linked) ranged from 12.2 to 14.9 g kg−1 across forage types and maturity stages. The correlation between total cell wall xylose and HC concentrations (NDF‐ADF) was lower than expected in all forages (R = 0.63).ConclusionThe more comprehensive analyses of cell walls provide detailed composition of the different WCCS that vary due to the maturity and type of cereal. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Growth stage and ensiling: impact on chemical composition, conservation quality and in situ ruminal degradability of whole‐crop oat

“…Meanwhile, DM content, WSC and buffering capacity variations with crop maturity were the main drivers affecting silage fermentation quality. Silage from oat harvested at early stages (Z45-Z73; 144-234 g kg −1 DM) presented pH values below 4.2, which agrees with other works evaluating barley, 8 wheat 3 and oat, 27 suggesting adequate ensiling characteristics at these stages. However, at late stages of growth (Z83-91; 362-512 g kg −1 DM), pH increased above 4.5, indicating restrictions for silage fermentation.…”

Physiochemical Characteristics and Molecular Structures for Digestible Carbohydrates of Silages

“…However, in the regions of northern latitude, it is a challenge to produce forage crops due to the restricted growing season that limits the growth range of cropping alternatives. Whole-crop barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) silage (BS) is the main forage component of dairy and beef rations in western Canada, because the crop is well adapted for production in such growing season …”

“…Whole-crop barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) silage (BS) is the main forage component of dairy and beef rations in western Canada, because the crop is well adapted for production in such growing season. 2 Next to starch, the cell-wall carbohydrates are the most important components of BS. An efficient microbial digestion of cell-wall carbohydrates in the rumen is critical for optimizing the utilization of BS in ruminant feeding.…”

Nutritional Value, Fermentation Characteristics and In Vitro Degradability of Whole Wheat Hay Harvested at Three Stages of Maturity

“…The nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium was applied at 44, 9 and 17 kg/ha before sowing, respectively, and 67, 14 and 26 kg/ha immediately prior to booting, respectively. Three stages—i.e, flowering, late milk and dough stages—were previously reported to be the most optimal harvesting stages for whole crop wheat ensiling [ 14 , 17 , 18 ], so, in this study, the wheat samples were harvested during these three stage. They had a stubble height of 15~20 cm, were oven dried at 65 °C for 48 h and were then ground to pass through a 1-mm screen for chemical analysis and batch culture.…”