engleski

The effect of maize silage maturity and cutting height on dairy cow and beef cattle performance

Maize silage (MS) is one of the most important energy forage used in ruminant diets because of its high energy content and good palatability. It can be fed as a sole feed or as a component of the ration for dairy and beef cattle. The aim of this paper is to review results published on maize crop maturity and cutting height in relation to yield and quality of MS with respect to dairy and beef cattle performance. As MS cutting height increases, dry matter yield (DM) decreases, but quality (MS) and animal performance increase, which is related to larger proportion of less digestible stalk remaining in the field. Higher cutting height of MS results in lower neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content, higher milk production and consequently lower milk fat (MF) content. MS maturity has a positive effect on animal performance up to a DM content of 280 – 330 g kg-1 fresh sample. Thereafter, DM intake, daily milk production (DMP) and crude protein content (CP) in milk mostly decrease or remain the same, as well as daily live weight gain (LWG) of beef cattle due to lower digestibility of organic matter (OM), starch and NDF in MS with higher DM content. It can be concluded that the cutting height and maturity of maize crop represent a kind of a compromise between DM and the starch content in MS, the fibre content necessary to maintain the function and health of the digestive system of ruminants, and the nutrient content of the feed to achieve maximum animal performance.

maize silage, cutting height, maturity, dairy cows, beef cattle

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