Fermentability and Nutritive Value of Corn and Forage Sorghum Silage When in Mixture with Lablab Bean

Abstract

Intercropping legumes with nonlegume crops has shown benefits in improving dry matter (DM) yield, but additional information is needed when crop mixtures are ensiled. This study assessed the fermentation characteristics of forage corn silage {Zea mays L.) (CS) and forage sorghum silage [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] (FS) when mixed with different proportions of lablab bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet] (LB). Corn, FS, and LB were grown in separate fields at two locations in 2009. At each location, crops were cut and chopped separately and taken to the laboratory for ensiling. Six mixtures were handmade on a percentage fresh weight basis for each CS-LB and FS-LB combination, including (i) 100:0, (ii) 90:10, (iii) 75:25, (iv) 50:50, (v) 25:75, and (vi) 0:100.For each mixture, a 1-L glass jar (mini-silo) was filled with 500 g of fresh material, with four jars per treatment. Forage in mini-silos was fermented for 60 d at room temperature (25°C). Analysis was conducted for nutritive value and fermentation characteristics. The greatest impact of mixing LB with CS or FS was on crude protein (CP) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) concentrations, with no significant impact on neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Averaging across CS and FS, CP concentration increased from 87 to 173 g kg-'' and ADF concentration from 253 to 306 g kg-^ as LB increased from 0 to 75% in the mixture. Increasing LB in the mixture also increased other constituents, such as pH and lactic and acetic acid concentrations. Adding LB to CS or FS for silage can have a positive effect on the final nutritive value, but additional research is needed to assess the impact in cattle.

Enhances in Crude Protein and Effects on Fermentation Profile of Corn and Forage Sorghum Silage with Addition of Cowpea

“…The IVTD was on average 6.11 ± 0.61 percentage units higher in corn than forage sorghum. Such a difference is explained by the higher IVTD in corn with zero cowpea than forage sorghum, which also agree with other studies (3). Mixtures with cowpea were not different, indicating that adding cowpea up to 75% did not affected IVTD (Table 1).…”

“…Comparing corn and forage sorghum, CP concentration was greater in corn by 1.04 ± 0.34 percentage units. Similar differences between these two crops were previously reported (3). Among the mixtures, the 25:75 ratio of main crop:cowpea had the greatest CP concentration next to 100% cowpea silage.…”

Growth and Yield of Guar (<i>Cyamopsis tetragonoloba</i> L.) Genotypes under Different Planting Dates in the Semi-Arid Southern High Plains

“…The total precipitation received during the study period (June-November) was 232 mm and 528 mm in 2014 and 2015, respectively. The annual mean maximum and minimum temperatures for the region are 22˚C and 7˚C, respectively [35]. The soil type was Olton clay loam (fine, mixed, superactive, thermicaridic paleustolls) with 16.6, 24.1, and 611.5 ppm available N, P, and K, respectively in both years.…”

Effect of Sowing Method and Weed Control on the Performance of Maize (Zea mays L.) Intercropped with Climbing Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

“…The main purpose of intercropping is to minimize the risk of crop failure and reduce income risks due to unstable market prices for a given commodity. Much research has dealt with the improvement of forage quality through intercropping [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] by investigating the effects of different proportions of leguminous plants. Legume-maize mixtures can be used as a local, protein-rich forage [20], while also having a positive ecological impact by increasing the soil fertility due to the N fixation by rhizobia in symbiosis with legumes [21,22].…”