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Effects of Cutting Height and Maturity on the Nutritive Value of Corn Silage for Lactating Cows^1,2

Delaware Agricultural Experimental Station, Department of Animal and Food Sciences, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Delaware, Newark 19716-2150

Corresponding author:
L. Kung, Jr.; e-mail:
lkung{at}udel.edu.

We studied the effect of increasing the cutting height of whole-plant corn at the time of harvest from 12.7 (NC) to 45.7 (HC) cm on yield and nutritive value of silage for dairy cows. Three leafy corn silage hybrids were harvested at NC and HC at about 34% dry matter (E) and 41% DM (L) and ensiled in laboratory silos. Increasing the height of cutting lowered yields of harvested DM/ha. In addition, the concentrations of DM and starch were higher but the concentrations of lactic acid, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber were lower in HC than in NC. The concentration of acid detergent lignin was also lower in HC, but only in corn harvested at E. In vitro digestion (30 h) of NDF was greater in HC (50.7%) than NC (48.3%). Calculated yield of milk per tonne of forage DM was greater for HC than for NC at E but not at L. In a lactation experiment, increasing the height of cutting of another leafy corn silage hybrid, TMF29400, in general also resulted in similar changes in nutrient composition as just described. When fed to lactating dairy cows, HC corn silage resulted in tendencies for greater NDF digestion in the total tract, higher milk production and improved feed efficiency, but there were no differences in 3.5% fat corrected milk between treatments. Results of this study suggest that increasing the cutting height of whole plant corn at harvest can improve the nutritive value of corn silage for lactating dairy cows.

Key Words: corn silage • height of cutting • silage maturity

Abbreviation key: ADL = acid detergent lignin, E = corn silage harvest between and milkline, HC = corn silage cut to leave 45.7 cm of stalk on the field, L = corn silage harvested at black layer, NC = corn silage cut to leave 12.7 cm of stalk on the field

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