Research Progress concerning the Influence of Biotic and Abiotic Factors on the Quality of Maize Silage

Dear Colleagues,

Maize green fodder is the primary raw material for the preparation of silage, which in turn is the main feed on farms specializing in ruminant animal breeding. It is even more important in areas with a low proportion of permanent pasture or in regions with intensive milk production and high cattle stocks. In recent years, the profitability of milk and beef production has been recorded, with a simultaneous increase in the requirements of milk and meat purchasing centers regarding the quality of these products. Meeting the required quality can be achieved mainly through an appropriate feeding and feed balancing system. Maize silage accounts for a significant percentage in the ration of the correct and optimized feeding cattle model. In addition, maize silage allows the farmer to have full control over the quality and quantity of feed and every stage of feeding compared to, for example, pasture feeding. In view of the development of world agriculture, it can be anticipated that the acreage of maize grown for whole-plant silage will increase, and thus the share of maize silage in the balance of preserved fodder will reach the level that is currently recorded in European countries. The quality and nutritional value of silage depend on many microbiological and agriculture factors that determine the course of the ensilage process. The preservation effect depends, inter alia, on the variety, dry matter content, soluble sugars, nitrogen compounds, pH and temperature, as well as the quantitative and species composition of microorganisms. In addition, the quality of the raw material for ensilage and, consequently, nutritional and production parameters of silage are determined by biotic and abiotic factors, as well as new agriculture solutions and means of production (variety, type of variety, fertilization, soil cultivation, plant protection, harvest date, preservatives and many others).

Prof. Piotr Szulc
Prof. Dr. Joanna Kobus-Cisowska
Dr. Waldemar Zielewicz
Guest Editors

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