Effect of annual weather fluctuations on quality of alfalfa silages

LOUČKA, Radko. Effect of annual weather fluctuations on quality of alfalfa silages. Úroda, 2021, vol. 69(7), p. 92-95. ISSN 0139-6013.
Year2021
CathegoryPublication in specialized journals
Internal link21064.pdf
Abstract

The aim of the paper was to compare nutritional and fermentation quality indicators of alfalfa silages harvested in dry and warm weather during the growing season 2015 to 2019 and silages harvested in 2010 to 2014, in which the weather corresponded to the long-term normal 1981 to 2010. The evaluation included 1266 analyses alfalfa silage from several laboratories in the Czech Republic. In the drier period, compared to previous years with a higher amount of precipitation, the silage had a higher content of crude fibre (CF) and a higher pH, on the contrary, a lower content of ash, lactic acid (LA), acetic acid (AA), volatile fatty acids (VFA) and a lower level of titration acidity (TA). In the drier period, the increase in dry matter correlated negatively with the content of AA and with the LA/VFA ratio; with increased content of protein the content of AA increased; the NEL content had a negative correlation with the CF content; with increased TA there was also a higher LA/VFA ratio. In the period with a higher amount of precipitation, there was more ash in the silages, and with their increasing amount, the content of protein also increased and the content of NEL and CF decreased.