The Quality, Intake, and Digestibility of Virginia Fanpetals ( Sida   hermaphrodita L. Rusby) Silage Produced under Different Technologies and Its Effect on the Performance of Young Cattle

Different harvesting and preservation methods of Virginia fanpetals herbage were evaluated, based on the chemical composition and digestible organic matter (OM) content (D-value) of silage fed to adult sheep, the intake and digestibility of silage, and the performance of young cattle. The following harvesting methods were compared: direct-cut harvesting with a precision-cut forage harvester (DC), harvesting after field wilting with a precision-cut forage harvester (WC) or a round baler (WRB). The silage was fed for 81 days to 24 Polish Holstein Friesian (HF) bulls, as the sole forage supplemented with 3.0 kg of concentrate/head/day. Harvesting methods affected the density ( < 0.001) and water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content ( = 0.047). Differences were found among the groups in the digestibility coefficients of OM (DC-73.7, WC-78.9, WRB-79.9%) ( = 0.007), and crude protein (CP) (69.8%, 77.1%, 78.5%, respectively) ( < 0.001). Dry matter intake (DMI) reached 8.38 kg (DC), 8.74 kg (WC) and 7.21 kg (WRB). Live weight gain (LWG) differed ( < 0.001) among groups (0.939, 1.033, 0.813 kg/day, respectively). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) tended to improve in WC (8.66 kg DMI/kg LWG) ( = 0.08). The highest-quality silage was produced in group WC, and it could be successfully fed to growing bulls as the sole forage.