The effect of lactic acid additive on the quality and chemical composition of meadow grass silage
In the experiment, forage from the 1st cut of meadow grasses mown at the heading stage of dominant grasses was ensiled. The control silages were made from fresh forage (dry matter 223.5 g?kg-1) and wilted forage (dry matter 351.9 g?kg-1). The experimental silages were made from fresh forages supplemented with a 5% water solution of lactic acid (0.5 and 0.7 l?100 kg-1 of forage) and 8% water solution of lactic acid (0.4 and 0.6 l?100 kg-1 of forage). The highest contents of crude protein, water-soluble carbohydrates and energy were found in silages supplemented with 5% lactic acid applied at 0.7 l?100 kg-1 of forage and in silages supplemented with 8% lactic acid applied at 0.6 l?100 kg-1 of forage. The above silage variants were also characterized by the lowest content of NH3-N in total-N, butyric acid and acetic acid, as well as the highest contents of lactic acid and the best indicators of fermentation quality. No important differences were found between silages made from wilted forage and silages made with lactic acid supplement.