Effect of cultivar and growth stage on fermentation quality of maize silage

To elucidate the effect of cultivar and growth stages on the fermentation quality of maize silage (Zea mays), three silage varieties, ‘Quchen 9’, ‘Xuanhong 18’ and ‘Qiaodan 6’, were harvested and processed for silage at the tassel, milk, and waxing stages to analyze their silage quality. The following results were obtained: 1) In terms of fertility, the silage sensory score tended to improve with fertility extension. The dry matter (DM) and starch contents of all three varieties increased. In contrast, the neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents decreased with age. After silage, pH values were higher at the tassel stage and lower at the milk and waxing stages for all varieties. 2) Harvested at different periods, the average silage quality score was 0.50 for Quchen 9, 0.43 for ‘Xuanhong 18’, and 0.51 for ‘Qiaodan 6’. Therefore, ‘Quchen 9’ and ‘Qiaodan 6’ silage had higher nutritional value and better quality. 3) Subordinate function analysis suggested that the best growth stage for maize silage was the waxing stage. The overall score of ‘Quchen 9’ was 0.67, higher than those of ‘Xuanhong 18’ (0.62) and ‘Qiaodan 6’ (0.61) when harvested at the waxing stage. In conclusion, ‘Quchen 9’ is recommended to be harvested at waxing stage for silage preparation.