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Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2019, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (8): 40-48.DOI: 10.11686/cyxb2018820

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Yield and nutritional value of silage maize varieties in Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area

LIN Yu-fan1, ZHU Hong-fu1, WANG Li-hui2, ZHANG Gui-jie1,*   

  1. 1.Department of Animal Science, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China;
    2.Fishery Technology Extension Station, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan 750001, China
  • Received:2018-12-21 Online:2019-08-20 Published:2019-08-20
  • Contact: *,E-mail: Guijiezhang@126.com

Abstract: The aim of this research was to identify suitable varieties of Zea mays for silage production in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area. A randomized block design was used, and data collected on yield performance, nutrient composition, in vitro digestibility of dry matter and in vitro digestibility of neutral detergent fiber, for five foreign varieties of Z. mays bred for silage (CLO131, CLO1312, CLO133, CLO134 and CLO135) and one Chinese silage variety of Z. mays (Jingang Silage 50, JGS50) as the control variety (CK). All tested varieties had normal growth and no major pest or disease outbreaks occurred. The mean plant height of JGS50 was 300.3 cm, while plant height of the introduced varieties ranged from 254.3 cm (CLO133) to 291.7 cm (CLO132), but these differences were non-significant (P>0.05). The content of crude protein, neutral detergent fiber and starch differed significantly (P<0.05) among varieties, with CLO135 having the highest crude protein content (9.23%), and CLO134 having the lowest (8.38%). The neutral detergent fiber contents of CLO132, CLO134 and CLO135 were all lower than 30%; the variety with the highest starch content was CLO135 (43.11%). There were no significant differences (P>0.05) among varieties in the acid detergent fiber, ether extract, crude ash and lignin levels. The calcium content differed significantly between varieties (P<0.05), and the calcium content of the control variety was 0.44% higher than the other varieties. The in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) of CLO135 were 89.08% and 58.17%, respectively, and did not differ among varieties (P>0.05). Considering all measured parameters, the suitability ranking of the six tested Z. mays silage cultivars for maize silage production in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation district was CLO135>CLO134>CLO131>CLO132>CLO133>CK. CLO135 showed the highest overall potential and therefore can be recommended as the preferred variety for silage maize growers in the Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area.

Key words: Ningxia Yellow River irrigation area, typical silage Zea mays, production performance, nutritional quality, in vitro dry matter digestibility