Abstract:

With the ongoing improvement of living standards of urban and rural residents， the consumption pattern of agricultural products has undergone significant changes. Meat consumption has been increasing annually， while the per capita consumption of staple crops has declined. To meet the changing consumer demand， patterns of agricultural production need to be urgently adjusted， and the efficient utilization of livestock feed resources has emerged as a key component for change. Grain ensiling is an efficacious method for the conservation of feed grains， and offers many advantages， such as a high nutrient dry matter recovery rate， reduced labor requirement， and reduced energy consumption. Thus， grain silage provides an important option to address scarcity of feed resources for livestock. Drawing on both the research literature on grain silage and the practical experience of our research team， this study comprised an in-depth analysis of the factors affecting the fermentation quality of grain silages， including harvesting time， moisture content， crushed particle size， role of additives， and storage duration. Our study also explored the utilization and feed value of grain silage in livestock and poultry rearing and the potential for integrating grain silage technology into modern agricultural systems. Therefore， this study both provides theoretical support and practical guidance for the preparation and utilization of high-quality grain silage， and also addresses the need to identify methods and strategies for ensuring national food security.

Key words: grain, silage, fermentation quality, feeding value