Abstract
Two common variants to conventional whole-plant corn silage (WP) are high-cut silage (HC) and snaplage (SNPL) which are harvested to alter DM content, fiber, and starch contents compared to WP silage. A conventional ear-snapper (ES) header is used to harvest SNPL which creates a low-fiber, starch-rich feed. However, the plant fractions in SNPL can dry quickly, creating issues with digestibility, palatability, fermentation, and aerobic stability. Stalk cut-off knives were added to the ES header to harvest more leaves and upper stalk to increase SNPL fiber content, yield and moisture. The DM content, yield and nutrient composition of the resulting material, referred to here as “toplage” (TPL), was between that of HC and SNPL. TPL yield averaged 72% to 77% of WP yield. Compared to HC or WP silages, TPL starch concentration was greater but the concentrations of fiber and lignin were less. To offset the loss in yield with harvesting only TPL, the biomass remaining after TPL was then harvested as a high-fiber roughage feed, referred to here as “stalklage” (STKL). STKL was either direct harvested or windrowed and then wilted to greater DM content before final harvest. The combination of TPL followed by STKL resulted in total yield 3% to 8% less than achieved with conventional WP silage. Windrowing increased STKL yield by collecting more leaves that had been dropped during TPL harvest compared to direct cutting, resulting in STKL with greater protein and lower fiber content. STKL had similar or better nutrient composition than reported values for corn stover harvested after grain harvest. Both TPL and STKL fermented well in mini-silos across a wide range of DM contents. The stalk cut-off knives are simple to adapt to the ES header, and by altering the number of knives, producers can easily change corn silage yield, DM content, and nutrient composition, offering an alternative to conventional SNPL or WP silages.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Toplage dry matter, yield and nutrient composition fell between high-cut silage and snaplage.
- Taxon
- Corn
Zea mays subsp. mayst0 - Material
- toplagee0
- Outcome
- DM content, yield and nutrient compositione0
- Comparator
- HC and SNPLe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The DM content, yield and nutrient composition of the resulting material, referred to here as “toplage” (TPL), was between that of HC and SNPL”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Toplage yield averaged 72% to 77% of whole-plant yield.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- TPL yielde0
- Value
- 72% to 77%e0
- Comparator
- WP yielde0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“TPL yield averaged 72% to 77% of WP yield”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Toplage starch was greater than in high-cut or whole-plant silage.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Material
- TPLe0
- Outcome
- TPL starch concentratione0
- Direction
- greatere0
- Comparator
- HC or WP silagese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Compared to HC or WP silages, TPL starch concentration was greater”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Toplage fiber and lignin concentrations were lower than in high-cut or whole-plant silage.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- concentrations of fiber and lignine0
- Direction
- lesse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the concentrations of fiber and lignin were less”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Toplage followed by stalklage yielded 3% to 8% less than whole-plant silage.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- combination of TPL followed by STKLe0
- Outcome
- total yielde0
- Direction
- lesse0
- Value
- 3% to 8%e0
- Comparator
- conventional WP silagee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The combination of TPL followed by STKL resulted in total yield 3% to 8% less than achieved with conventional WP silage”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Windrowing increased stalklage yield compared with direct cutting.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Windrowinge0
- Outcome
- STKL yielde0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- direct cuttinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Windrowing increased STKL yield by collecting more leaves that had been dropped during TPL harvest compared to direct cutting”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Windrowed stalklage had greater protein content than directly cut stalklage.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- Windrowinge0
- Outcome
- proteine0
- Direction
- greatere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Windrowing increased STKL yield by collecting more leaves that had been dropped during TPL harvest compared to direct cutting, resulting in STKL with greater protein and lower fiber content”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Windrowed stalklage had lower fiber content than directly cut stalklage.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Treatment
- STKLe0
- Outcome
- fiber contente0
- Direction
- lowere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“resulting in STKL with greater protein and lower fiber content”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Stalklage nutrient composition was similar or better than reported corn stover values.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Material
- STKLe0
- Outcome
- nutrient compositione0
- Direction
- similar or bettere0
- Comparator
- corn stover harvested after grain harveste0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“STKL had similar or better nutrient composition than reported values for corn stover harvested after grain harvest”
t0“Corn-Silage”
Claim · model-written summary
Toplage and stalklage fermented well across a broad dry matter range.
- Taxon
- CornZea mays subsp. mayst0
- Outcome
- fermented welle0
- Qualifier
- wide range of DM contentse0
- Setting
- mini-silose0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both TPL and STKL fermented well in mini-silos across a wide range of DM contents”
t0“Corn-Silage”
The same questions in other papers
wind · yield · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- positive
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.