Abstract :
the experiment was carried out to evaluate on the effects of different levels (25 and 50%, based on dry matter) of various leguminous (Lathyrus sativus, Pisum arvense, Vicia sativa, V.villosa, V.faba var. minor and Trifolium resupinatum) hays added to giant kinggrass (Pennisetum hybridum) at ensilage on the silage quality and feed composition. Fifty-two vacuumed nylon bag silos were used. A complete randomized design was used with four replications. After 60 days of ensilage period, some properties of silages were determined considering dry matter content, pH values, lactic and acetic acid contents, crude protein, metabolizable energy and relative forage value. The results demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences between the added groups for above mentioned traits compared to control. pH values of silages increased as levels of hays increased. The addition of leguminous hays of 25% or 50% to silage increased crude protein content about 2% or 5% compared to control, respectively. The silage groups containing of 50% leguminous hay were superior than the groups of 25% hays in terms of metabolizable energy and relative forage value without any negative effect on silage fermentation. It was also concluded that one of the V.faba var. minor, V.villosa or V.sativa hays can be added at the level of 50% to giant kinggrass for ensiling to raise metabolizable energy and relative forage value, and to produce good quality silage.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Pennisetum hybridum , leguminous hay , mixed silage , silage quality and forage value.
