Influence of long-term manure application on mineral composition of irrigated barley silage

Abstract

X. 2015. Influence of long-term manure application on mineral composition of irrigated barley silage. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 759Á770. The long-term effect of land application of manure type (composted vs. stockpiled manure), bedding type (wood-chips vs. straw), and application rate on feed quality of barley silage as feed for beef cattle is unknown. We measured selected minerals [P, Ca, Ca:P ratio, Mg, K, K:(Ca'Mg) ratio, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn (1 dry wt.). The treatments also included an unamended control and inorganic fertilizer treatment. Manure type generally had inconsistent or no significant (P50.05) effect on the concentrations of these minerals in barley silage. Most crop minerals were generally greater under ST than WD. The findings for P, K, Na, and K:(Ca'Mg) ratio generally supported our hypothesis of greater crop concentrations with greater application rate, but Ca and Mg decreased at higher rates. Overall, our findings suggest that bedding and application rate have more potential than manure type for managing the feed quality of barley silage.

Nutritional Quality and In Vitro Rumen Fermentation Characteristics of Silage Prepared with Lucerne, Sweet Maize Stalk, and Their Mixtures

“…Differences in mineral content across forages depend on many factors such as plant species, growth environment, and fertilizer application [2]. In addition, Miller et al (2015) investigated the impact of longterm manure application on the mineral composition of irrigated barley silage and found that with a greater application rate, concentrations of P, K, Na, and K to Ca + Mg ratio increased, but Ca and Mg concentrations decreased at higher rates compared to a low rate [39]. More studies on minerals are needed to increase our understanding of their changes during ensiling.…”