Vol. 10, Issue 1, Part A (2025)

Author(s): Sandhya Bade, Somnath Mane, DD Sawale, Tai Deokate, CT Kumbhar and Gurav Prachi

Abstract: An experiment on assessment of different silage making processes on physico-chemical and microbial properties of silage was conducted at (ICRTC) the Division of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture, Pune (MS) to evaluate the impact of different maize silage-making methods and the use of microbial cultures on There were six methods of maize silage making replicated thrice in combination with culture and without culture. The physical, chemical, and microbial properties of silage were evaluated at 45, 90, and 120 days. The six methods of silage making consisted of T₁ (Bale method), T₂ (50 kg bag method) T₃ (1 ton bag method), T₄ (3-ton bag method), T₅ (5-ton bag method), T₆ (Pit method). The treatments were replicated thrice and the data was statistically analysed using factorial completely randomized design. The results of this experiment revealed that the bale method consistently outperformed other methods, yielding the higher dry matter (33.60%), crude fiber (25.43%), NDF (64.46%), ADF (27.59%), starch (9.54%), In contrast, the 1-ton bag method had the highest moisture content (68.37%). The addition of microbial cultures enhanced several parameters across all methods, particularly at 45 days like crude fiber (25.47%), NDF (60.56%), and ADF (26.80%) were highest at this duration. Interaction effects were significant, with the bale method and microbial additives showing superior results in crude fiber (27.34%), NDF (67.34%) and ADF (28.39%). Mineral content was also significantly improved with the bale method achieving the highest levels of Mn, Zn, Na, Mg, Ca, Cr, and Co. Bacterial counts peaked at 120 days in the bale method (34.33 × 10⁷cfu g⁻¹), while fungi and yeast were most abundant at 45 days in the pit method. The study highlighted the effectiveness of the bale method combined with microbial cultures in optimizing maize silage preservation, ensuring superior nutrient retention and microbial stability across different storage durations.