Maximise Yield And Starch Content In Maize Silage

Maize silage is a commonly used stored fodder in South African dairy farming. The quantity and quality of the maize crop that goes into silage has a direct effect on milk production and dairy profitability. Grant Pringle, an agronomist with Pannar Seed, tells Lloyd Phillips how a farmer can get the best out of a silage maize crop by using the correct planting and management methods.

Maize silage is maize grain attached to a digestible grass, and is a nutritive energy source. Both components – maize and grass – are important to silage quality.

“Maize grain provides about 65% of the energy found in maize silage. It’s therefore beneficial to achieve as much grain yield as possible from a silage maize crop because this will increase the energy rich starch component in the silage,” says Grant Pringle, agronomist at Panner Seed.

He adds that the grass component of silage maize is high in fibre, which influences the maize silage energy density and a cow’s dry matter (DM) intake. It can also improve rumen health via mat density and cud chewing.

In a worst-case scenario, maize silage is a DM store, a palatable source of roughage, and a carrier of concentrate feed that can be mixed into it. In a best-case scenario, it can act as a concentrate feed containing appreciable levels of starch in a highly digestible form, together with effective roughage and protein. This allows a dairy manager to cut back on more expensive additional feed inputs.

“What silage managers need to do is influence production to improve it from the worst-case to the best-case scenario.”

SILAGE QUALITY CONTROL

According to Pringle, there are three factors that affect final silage quality.

The first is the environment, which is largely out of the manager’s control. It includes water, sunlight, heat, soil properties, pests and diseases.

The second is the silage maize hybrid selected for production. Choosing the correct hybrid best suited to local conditions is crucial.

The third is management. This, according to Pringle, has the most influence on silage maize crop yield and quality. Management focuses on planting and cultural practices, crop maturity at harvest, and crop processing and ensiling, among others.