R. Daenicke et al., Influence of lactic acid bacteria as inoculant in corn silage on digestibility of crude nutrients and performance of dairy cows, LANDBAU VOL, 49(2), 1999, pp. 64-69
Corn of the variety Noveta was harvested with a dry matter content of about
33% and ensiled without or with lactic acid bacteria (10(5) cfu Lactobacil
lus plantarum per g fresh matter).
Digestibility and energy concentration of both silages were determined in d
igestion experiments with four male castrated sheep each. 30 lactating cows
(lactation stage: 50 days on average; initial body weight: 630 kg per anim
al) consumed untreated and treated silage ad lib. apart from concentrates f
or 112 days.
Silage additive did not significantly influence digestibility of organic ma
tter (73.8 and 73.1%), crude nutrients and energy concentration (6.5 and 6.
4 MJ NEL/kg DM for untreated respectively treated silage).
There were no differences in dry matter intake of cows (total: 20.83 and 20
.82 kg per day; corn silage: 13.09 and 13.05 kg per day), daily milk perfor
mance (27.3 kg each) and in milk composition (fat: 4.33 and 4.39%; protein:
3.42 and 3.39% for untreated and treated silage).
In consequence of the high dry matter and energy intake cows consumed to mu
ch energy and gained 534 and 572 g per day (untreated and treated silage).
Fertility of cows was not influenced (p > 0.05), but energy over consumptio
n of cows must be avoided.