Abstract:
Silage is the compressed and fermented green forage crops under anaerobic
condition, usually in a silo. Crop residues can be used as feed for cattle during the dry season
by ensiling them as silage. The aim of this study is to identify the combination of various crop
residues to produce good quality silage. Samples of silage produced from individual crop
residues and different combinations of crop residues were collected from farmers who
produced silage in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka from January to March 2017. Twenty
samples of silage from ten different individual and combinations of crop residues with fodder
trees in two replicates were analyzed for sensory evaluation, pH, ammonium-N, lactic acid and
total acidity of silage in the field itself using silage quality detection field test kit and the crude
protein content was measured using standard procedure in the laboratory. Based on the
results, though the silage made from the combination of Sorghum bicolor (sugargraze) +
Oryza sativa (paddy) straw + Gliricidia sepium (gliricidia) leaves showed the highest
percentage of crude protein of 21%, the fermentation quality was reported to be low. When
considering fermentation quality, the silage made from Pennisetum purpureum (hybrid
napier grass (co-3)), Zea mays (maize), Sorghum bicolor (sugargraze), and from the
combinations of Sorghum bicolor (sugargraze)+ Borassus flabellifer (palmyra) leaves,
Sorghum bicolor (sugargraze) + Oriza sativa (paddy) straw + Gliricidia sepium (gliricidia)
leaves, Sorghum bicolor (sugargraze) + Thespesia populnea leaves + Borassus flabellifer
(palmyra) leaves+ Gliricidia sepium (gliricidia) leaves and Zea mays (maize) + Gliricidia
sepium (gliricidia) leaves showed the excellent quality while the silage made from Oriza sativa
(paddy) straw+ urea with poor quality. The highest lactic acid concentration was recorded in
the silage made from the combinations of Sorghum bicolor (sugargraze) + Borassus flabellifer
(palmyra) leaves and Sorghum bicolor (sugargraze) + Thespesia populnea leaves+ Borassus
flabellifer (palmyra) leaves + Gliricidia sepium (gliricidia) leaves. The results revealed that the
silage produced with the combinations of crop residues consisting of Borassus flabellifer
(palmyra) leaves was with excellent fermentation quality. Further investigation is
recommended to find out the quantified proportion of Barassus flabellifer (palmyra) leaves with
other crop residues and fodder trees that could yield the best quality of silage.
