Determination of the effect of Hypericum perforatum oil supplementation on silage quality in ruminant feeding

This study evaluated the effect of Hypericum perforatum oil (HPO) on chemical composition, fermentation traits and metabolic energy, in vitro organic matter digestibility, and net energy lactation of Hungarian vetch-wheat silages. The treatments were: (i) control (No HPO), (ii) 20 mg/kg HPO, (iii) 40 mg/kg HPO, (iv) 80 mg/kg HPO and (v) 160 mg/kg HPO in Hungarian vetch-wheat silages. After 75 days of ensiling, dry matter, NDF and ADF were increased by adding 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg Hypericum perforatum oil to Hungarian vetch-wheat silage (p0.05). Butyric acid and ammonia nitrogen were not found in the experiment silages. Finally, it was concluded that the addition of 20 mg/kg Hypericum perforatum oil may have a positive effect on the quality of Hungarian vetch-wheat silages.