The Effect of Pre-wilting and Incorporation of Maize Meal on the Fermentation of Bana Grass Silage

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of pre-wilting Bana grass (Pennisetum purpureum x P. americanum) herbage under sunny conditions for 0, 6, 18, 24, 32 and 48 h and ensiling it with maize meal. Four levels of maize meal(viz., 0, 5, 10 and 15% on fresh weight (Fw) basis) were tested. The experiment had a split-plot design. Wilting increased the concentration of water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) significantly (p0.001) from 250 to $620g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$, between 0 and 48 h respectively. The concentration of fermentation end-products decreased (except butyric acid) and pH increased when the period of wilting increased, indicating that fermentation was restricted. In particular, lactic acid content declined from 50.8 to $26.2g{\cdot}kg^{-1}{\cdot}DM$ (p