|  |
Wilting Bermudagrass Improves Forage Silage Quality and Cattle Performance1
William E. Kunkle2Bermudagrass has low levels of sugars that are fermented to lactic and other acids during ensiling. Wilting has been shown to improve the fermentation and the feeding value when levels of sugar are low. The effects of wilting on bermudagrass harvested as round bale silage were investigated in two trials. The round bale silage was compared to similar bermudagrass harvested as round baled hay.
Bermudagrass was harvested after 5 to 6 weeks of regrowth in 1988 and 6 to 7 weeks of regrowth in 1989. The treatments included baling immediately after cutting (unwilted), baling after 1 to 2 hours of wilt, baling after 2 to 4 hours of wilt or field curing and harvesting as hay. Forage was baled with a New Holland 848 baler in bales 4 feet wide and 4.5 feet in diameter. The high-moisture forage was wrapped with four layers of stretch wrap plastic and stored under trees. Hay was stored in a barn. After 4 to 8 months of storage, the forage was fed to heifers in round-bale feeders and wasted forage was removed and weighed. Individual bales were identified and weighed at harvest and at feeding. Each treatment was fed to two groups of 10 growing heifers averaging 550 pounds in 1988 and 520 pounds in 1989. Bermudagrass forage intake and heifer weight gains and height changes were determined in an 87-day feeding trial in 1988 and a 98-day feeding trial in 1989.
In two trials in which wilted bermudagrass was compared to unwilted forage, wilting 2 to 4 hours had the following effects:
Forage wilted to 50 to 60% moisture resulted in similar intakes and animal performance compared to forage harvested as hay, but storage and feeding losses were 9 percentage units higher for the silage compared to hay.
- Forage moisture was reduced 20 percentage units from 71 to 51%.
- Bale weights were reduced by 100 pounds per bale from 1,450 to 1,350 pounds.
- Forage dry matter increased 200 pounds per bale from 420 to 620 pounds.
- Number of bales and plastic and wrapping costs were reduced by 30%.
- Storage losses were reduced 3.7 percentage units from 12.5 to 8.8% of the dry matter lost during storage.
- Feeding losses were increased 6.7 percentage units from 10.1 to 16.8 of the dry matter wasted at feeding. Molding of forage due to holes in the plastic contributed to wasted forage and the losses were higher in drier forage.
- Silage quality was improved and resulted in a 13% increase in intake from 1.67 to 1.89% of body weight, daily gains were increased .4 pounds from -.15 to +.25 pounds, and growth in height was increased .48 inches over 3 months from .43 to .91 inches growth in height.
Tables
Table 1. Effect of wilting bermudagrass on forage characteristics, bale weight, feed and storage losses, and intake and performance of growing cattle.a
Item
Wilting time, hours
None
1-2
2-4
Hay
Forage moisture, %
1988 73.9
63.3
52.2
13.3
1989 69.1
60.8
54.3
25.5
71.5
62.1
53.3
19.4
Forage dry matter, % 1988 26.1
36.7
47.8
86.7
1989 30.9
39.2
45.7
74.5
28.5
37.9
46.8
80.6
Wet bale weight, lb 1988 1,362
1,405
1,273
622
1989 1,545
1,445
1,415
800
1,454
1,425
1,344
711
Dry bale weight, lb 1988 357
515
608
536
1989 477
565
635
595
417
540
622
566
Storage losses, % DM
1988 14.7
13.3
9.4
3.0
1989 10.2
9.7
8.1
2.9
12.5
11.5
8.8
3.0
Feeding losses, % dry matter 1988 8.7
9.2
13.0
7.2
1989 11.5
16.2
20.5
17.7
10.1
12.7
16.8
12.5
Dry matter intake, lb/day 1988 9.2
10.2
10.9
11.0
1989 8.0
8.9
9.5
8.7
8.6
9.6
10.2
9.9
Dry matter intake, % body weight 1988 1.67
1.84
1.96
1.88
1989 1.66
1.78
1.81
1.65
1.67
1.81
1.89
1.77
Daily gain, lb/head 1988 -.07
.15
.35
.53
1989 -.22
-.13
.15
.04
-.15
+.01
+.25
+.29
Height increase, inches 1988 (87 days) .19
.84
.86
1.00
1989 (98 days) .66
.97
.95
1.12
.43
.91
.91
1.06
aRegrowth was 5-6 weeks in 1988 and 6-7 weeks in 1989.
Footnotes
1. This document is AN146, one of a series of the Department of Animal Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, UF/IFAS. Published October 2003. Please visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.2. William E. Kunkle, former Professor and Extension Beef Specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, UF/IFAS, Gainesville, FL, 32611.
The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication do not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
Copyright Information
This document is copyrighted by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) for the people of the State of Florida. UF/IFAS retains all rights under all conventions, but permits free reproduction by all agents and offices of the Cooperative Extension Service and the people of the State of Florida. Permission is granted to others to use these materials in part or in full for educational purposes, provided that full credit is given to the UF/IFAS, citing the publication, its source, and date of publication.