New Oxygen Barrier Stretch Film Enhances Quality of Alfalfa Wrapped Silage

Abstract

Th e objectives of this research were to (i) test a new oxygen barrier (OB) stretch fi lm with a 20-fold lower oxygen permeability than the polyethylene (PE) fi lm commonly used on farms to wrap bales and (ii) determine the eff ects on microbial status, dry matter (DM) losses, and fermentation of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) bale silage. Five fi eld trials were conducted on a farm near Turin, Italy. In Trial 1, the bales were wrapped with two, four, six, or eight layers of either conventional PE or OB fi lm. A further four trials were conducted to compare bales wrapped with four layers of OB with bales wrapped with six layers of PE. In the outer layer of bales, the pH was lower in the OB than the PE silages. Th ere was a signifi cant eff ect of the fi lm type and number of layers on the percentage of bale surface covered by mold (P < 0.001), with less than 15% in bales wrapped with at least four layers of OB fi lm. Storage DM losses ranged from 50 to 123 g kg −1 DM and were aff ected by the type of fi lm used (P < 0.001) and by the number of layers applied (P = 0.035), with consistently lower values in OB silages. Th e new stretch fi lm supports the possibility of conserving high quality alfalfa silage for up to 14 mo, with less fi lm than currently used.

Detection, identification, and typing of Listeria species from baled silages fed to dairy cows

“…Data from the present research showed that the main managerial factor that could contribute to reduce the incidence of mold growth over the bale surface is the number of stretchplastic layers applied, which reduced the risk of damage to cover and increased the anaerobic status of the bale. Data are in agreement with previously reported results (Keller et al, 1998;Borreani and Tabacco, 2008a), which showed that increasing the number of film layers from 4 to 6 or even 8 often improved air tightness of the bale coverage and significantly reduced mold growth over the bale surface.…”

“…Even small holes that can occur on farm due to both mechanical and wildlife factors can result in quantitative DM losses because of mold growth, especially in conserved forages with higher DM contents (McNamara et al, 2001;Müller et al, 2007). Air penetration into the silage stimulates aerobic bacteria, yeasts, and molds and causes aerobic deterioration (O'Brien et al, 2007;Borreani and Tabacco, 2008a). Silage that has suffered aerobic spoilage has an increased probability of being contaminated by Listeria spp.…”

Fluctuant storage temperature increased the heterogeneous distributions of pH and fermentation products in large round bale silage

“…Oxygen permeability through the plastic film is a crucial factor for maintaining silage quality in the upper layer of the silo when it is perfectly sealed (Bernardes, Nussio, & do Amaral RC, 2012). Stretch-film of six layers in the present study was above a minimum of four layers of stretch-film to achieve suitable anaerobic conditions, due to rapid reduction of oxygen in bale silo (Borreani & Tabacco, 2008;McEniry, Forristal, & O'Kiely, 2011;McEniry, O'Kiely, Clipson, Forristal, & Doyle, 2007). The heat source for immediate lactic acid fermentation during ensiling is just from ambient temperature.…”

Early lactation feed intake and milk yield responses of dairy cows offered grass silages harvested at early maturity stages

“…When grasses are conserved as silages, the fermentation quality adds a new source of variation to the feed quality. The fermentation quality depends on the weather during harvesting and on the harvesting technique: mowing, wilting, chopping, compaction, type and dos-age of silage additive, air exclusion, storage time, and temperature (Charmley, 2001;Borreani and Tabacco, 2008). Silage digestible organic matter in dry matter (DOMD) and the total concentration of fermentation acids were found to be the most important factors determining silage intake by dairy cows (Huhtanen et al, 2007).…”